Definition

1. Adjective:

   • Willing to take risks; adventurous: Describes a person or action that shows courage and a willingness to do dangerous or new things.
   • Radically new or original: Describes something, especially in art or ideas, that is innovative and breaks with convention.

2. Noun:

   • The trait of being willing to undertake things that involve risk or danger: The quality of having boldness and courage.
   • A challenge to do something dangerous or foolhardy: An act of provoking someone to prove their courage.

Examples

• Adjective:

  • She made a daring escape from the castle.
  • The designer is known for her daring new fashion collections.

• Noun:

  • The mission required immense daring and skill.
  • He accepted his friend's daring to jump into the cold lake.

Advanced Usage

• "daring do": A humorous or literary phrase meaning acts of heroism or bravery.

  • The film is a tale of high adventure and daring do.

• "daring raid/rescue/mission": Common collocations emphasizing the risky nature of an action.

  • The soldiers carried out a daring raid behind enemy lines.

Variants and Related Words

• Dare (verb/noun): To have the courage to do something; a challenge.
  • I dare you to tell the truth.
• Daringly (adverb): In a daring manner.
  • The dress was cut daringly low.
• Daredevil (noun/adjective): A person who enjoys doing dangerous things; recklessly bold.
  • He was a daredevil stunt pilot.

Synonyms

• Adjective: Audacious, bold, adventurous, venturesome, intrepid.
• Noun: Boldness, audacity, courage, bravery, hardiness.

Related Phrases

• A leap in the dark: An action or risk taken without knowing the consequences.
  • Starting his own business was a real leap in the dark.
• Throw caution to the wind: To stop being careful and take a risk.
  • She decided to throw caution to the wind and travel the world.

Idioms

• Nothing ventured, nothing gained: You cannot achieve anything if you do not take risks.
  • I know the investment is risky, but nothing ventured, nothing gained.
• On a dare: Because someone challenged you to do it.
  • He only went skydiving on a dare from his brother.

Adjective

1. radically new or original
   • an avant-garde theater piece
2. disposed to venture or take risks
   • audacious visions of the total conquest of space
   • an audacious interpretation of two Jacobean dramas
   • the most daring of contemporary fiction writers
   • a venturesome investor
   • a venturous spirit

Noun

1. the trait of being willing to undertake things that involve risk or danger
   • the proposal required great boldness
   • the plan required great hardiness of heart
2. a challenge to do something dangerous or foolhardy
   • he could never refuse a dare