What does reckless mean?
Word: Reckless
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Reckless means not thinking or caring about danger or the results of what you do.
Synonyms: careless, rash, foolhardy, daring
Antonyms: careful, prudent
Word origin: From Old English receleas.
How do you spell reckless?
Syllables: reck - less
Tricky part: There is no w at the start: reckless has nothing to do with wreck, though wreckless is a common slip.
Watch out for: wreckless, recless
Memory tip: Leave the w to wreck, a ruined ship; reckless, which is about not caring, has nothing to do with it.
Reckless in a sentence
Example 1: A reckless decision to skip revision left Rohan struggling in the exam.
Example 2: It was reckless of the boys to climb the old water tank.
Example 3: Spending all your savings on one video game is reckless.
Fun Fact
The reck in reckless is an old verb meaning to care or pay attention, so reckless is close to careless in its very build.
Practise the CREST Way
Spell-o-Spell
Only one of these words is spelt correctly. Choose its meaning:
1. reckless 2. jubilent 3. melancholey 4. sereen
a) calm and peaceful
b) full of joy because of a success
c) a deep, lasting sadness
d) ready to take silly risks without a second thought
Show answer
d) ready to take silly risks without a second thought. Jubilant ends ant, melancholy ends in a plain y and serene finishes ene; reckless is the spelling to define.
Word Connection
Choose the antonym of the word reckless as used in the sentence:
Riding a bicycle with no hands down a steep slope is a reckless thing to do.
a) cheerful
b) cautious
c) generous
d) curious
Show answer
b) cautious. A reckless rider takes risks; a cautious rider avoids them.
Mingle-Mangle
Unjumble the letters in the sentence to form a meaningful word:
It was eekssrlc of Aman to cycle home after dark without lights.
a) feckless
b) restless
c) reckless
d) necklace
Show answer
c) reckless. There is no t, f, n or a among these letters, which removes restless, feckless and necklace and leaves reckless.
Word Cookie
Find the misspelt word in the sentence:
Our coach said that recklesness in the last few overs cost us the semi-final, so everyone must play each ball with care.
a) coach
b) recklesness
c) semi-final
d) everyone
Show answer
b) recklesness. Add ness to reckless without changing it, so the double s of less stays: recklessness.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which is an example of reckless behaviour?
a) wearing a seat belt in the car
b) waiting for the green signal to cross
c) reading the label on a medicine
d) running down the stairs three at a time
Show answer
d) running down the stairs three at a time
2. A reckless spender is someone who ____.
a) saves every penny carefully
b) spends money without thinking
c) keeps a list of all costs
d) never buys anything at all
Show answer
b) spends money without thinking
