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rashness

Other forms: rashnesses

Acting without carefully considering the consequences is rashness. If you impulsively jump off the roof of the shed into a pile of leaves, you may regret your rashness.

Rashness is a kind of carelessness, a failure to think about how your actions might harm yourself or someone else. Your rashness can result in hurt feelings, if you blurt out every thought without considering the effects, or in making your parents mad, if you impulsively paint the living room hot pink. Rashness comes from rash, "proceeding from a lack of consideration of consequences," a Scottish word originally meaning "nimble or quick."

Definitions of rashness
  1. noun
    the trait of acting rashly and without prudence
    see moresee less
    types:
    lightheadedness
    a frivolous lack of prudence
    type of:
    imprudence
    a lack of caution in practical affairs
  2. noun
    the trait of giving little thought to danger
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    types:
    adventurism
    recklessness in politics or foreign affairs
    brashness
    the trait of being rash and hasty
    desperation
    desperate recklessness
    type of:
    thoughtlessness, unthoughtfulness
    the trait of not thinking carefully before acting
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