Merriam-Webster Word of the Day - Intrepid

WORD OF THE DAY January 15, 2018

intrepid  adjective | in-TREP-id   Definition : characterized by resolute fearlessness, fortitude, and endurance Scroll down for more about intrepid WORD GAMES AND QUIZZES: WEEKLY CHALLENGE Winter Words Quiz Winter has returned along with cold weather. Wrap yourself in a blanket and challenge yourself with our 14-question quiz about words relating to winter.   PLAY NOW   Nailed this quiz? We have plenty more to try!  TAKE ME THERE   Plus:   SEE WHAT LOOKUPS ARE TRENDING NOW!   Did You Know? You need not be afraid to find out the origins of today's word, although its history does include fear. Intrepid derives from the Latin word intrepidus, itself formed by the combination of the prefix in- (meaning "not") and trepidus, meaning "alarmed." Other relatives of trepidus in English include trepidation and trepidatious, as well as trepid (which actually predates intrepid and means "fearful"). Synonyms for intrepid include courageous, valiant, fearless, valorous, and simply brave. Intrepid aptly describes anyone—from explorers to reporters—who ventures bravely into unknown territory, though often you'll see the word loaded with irony, as in "an intrepid volunteer sampled the entries at the pie bake-off." Examples of INTREPID "An intrepid engineer is on the edge of fulfilling his dream of conquering the world's toughest mountaineering challenge. Peter Sunnucks, 35, will be joined by his wife Elizabeth Wood when he heads to Antarctica in two weeks' time to try to scale the last of seven of the earth's highest peaks." — Russell Blackstock, The Sunday Post (Dundee, Scotland), 14 Nov. 2017 "A series of disappearances echoes events from 33 years before, and an intrepid teenager, Jonas (Louis Hofmann, steady at the center of the large cast), sets off into the caverns under the plant to solve the mystery." — Mike Hale, The New York Times, 5 Dec. 2017 Name That Synonym Fill in the blanks to complete a synonym of intrepid: _ n _ _ u _ t _ d. VIEW THE ANSWER   WORDS AT PLAY 10 Words for 'Snow' Because 200 seemed like overkill SEE THE FULL LIST

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