dauntless

adjective

daunt·​less ˈdȯnt-ləs How to pronounce dauntless (audio)
ˈdänt-
: incapable of being intimidated or subdued : fearless, undaunted
a dauntless hero
dauntlessly adverb
dauntlessness noun

Did you know?

Human history teems with dauntless people, doughty folks who refused to be cowed or subdued, even if armed with nothing but the courage of their convictions. The existence of dauntless raises this question: can one be full of daunt? Not anymore—the noun daunt, meaning “discouragement” or “intimidation,” has been obsolete for centuries, though dauntless remains as a clue to its past use. But daunt is (and has been since the 14th century) a verb; we define it as “to lessen the courage of; to cow or subdue.” Introduced via Anglo-French, its ultimate source lies in the Latin verb domare, meaning “to tame” or “to subdue.” The idea of being subdued persists in today’s daunt, but the idea of being tamed was formerly present too: until at least the 16th century, horses trained to behave in ways useful to humans—that is, horses that were broken—could be said to be “daunted.” Not until the late 16th century did we use undaunted with the meaning “undiscouraged and courageously resolute” to describe people. By then, such lionhearted souls could also be described as “undauntable” as well as “dauntless.”

Examples of dauntless in a Sentence

dauntless heroes who are inclined to rush to danger, not away from it
Recent Examples on the Web Whether exploring the town and browsing local shops or setting out on a cowboy adventure — a trip to Sheridan feels like a journey back in time to the dauntless days of the Wild West. Molly O’Brien, Travel + Leisure, 1 Mar. 2024 This incubator of dauntless pilots and air safety seers grew into Lambert-St. Louis International Airport. Kerry J. Byrne Fox News, Fox News, 16 Feb. 2024 The vaunted G-men who had rocketed to fame as dauntless crimebusters now looked like the Keystone Cops of counterespionage. Bertrand M. Patenaude, WSJ, 8 Oct. 2020 After being subjected to titillating media coverage of her romance with William, a classmate at St. Andrews University in Scotland, Catherine has carved out an identity as a parent, a patron of charities and a dauntless companion to her husband on foreign tours. Mark Landler, New York Times, 17 Jan. 2024 Allister Sparks, dauntless South African journalist, dies at 83 Mr. Magubane and other Black journalists were detained for nearly five months in apparent retribution for the Soweto coverage. Brian Murphy, Washington Post, 4 Jan. 2024 All the tributaries of the media tracked and facilitated the rise of the agency — dramatizing Hoover’s talking points about the need for the scientific study of crime and celebrating the dauntless exploits of its eternally vigilant leader. Thomas Doherty, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 July 2023 In Zelenskyy, Russia has found a dauntless opponent whose refusal to leave the capital has boosted his international image and helped secure billions of dollars of military aid, most of it from the Biden administration. Richard Engel, NBC News, 15 June 2023 She’s supported by a visiting world traveler and a cast of dauntless women: a lawyer regaining her practice, a dancer finding movement in devotion, a recent widow committed to the core, a divorcee seeing more than security in her roots, and an indie gig striver deep with poetry. Teresa M. Hanafin, BostonGlobe.com, 4 June 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'dauntless.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

see daunt

First Known Use

1588, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of dauntless was in 1588

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Dictionary Entries Near dauntless

Cite this Entry

“Dauntless.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dauntless. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

dauntless

adjective
daunt·​less ˈdȯnt-ləs How to pronounce dauntless (audio)
ˈdänt-
dauntlessly adverb
dauntlessness noun

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