Make Your Point > Archived Issues > ICARIAN

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pronounce ICARIAN: Say it "eye CARE ee yun." To hear it, click here. connect this word to others: Something grandly, stupidly, destructively ambitious is Icarian. Something grandly, stupidly, destructively optimistic is qu_x____.  And something grandly, stupidly, destructively proud is hu___stic. Could you recall those last two words? (To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.)     definition: In Greek myth, Icarus is the guy who puts on some wings made of wax and feathers, ignores his dad's advice to avoid flying too close to the sun, and--when the sun melts the wax in his wings--falls to his death. He had high hopes and big plans, but he utterly failed. So, if you describe people or things as Icarian, you mean they're the kind with stupidly high goals or unrealistically big dreams, without the skills or resources to pursue them, and so they're likely to get themselves hurt in the process. grammatical bits: Part of speech: Adjective, the proper kind, so you capitalize it: "this Icarian scheme," "that Icarian flight." Other forms:  You can refer to a person as an Icarus. (Say it like this: "ICK er us." Hear it here.) And if you prefer a clearer, less scholarly-sounding adjective, use "Icarus-like." In older texts, you might see the spelling "Icarean." how to use it: You might not often need a word meaning "deathly ambitious." But when you do, you've got "Icarian." It's rare and a little scholarly, so use it wisely. If you're not sure your readers will understand it, try swapping in "Icarus-like" instead. Check out that first example below. It's about David Hume, a surgeon who died while flying a plane, alone, that he wasn't qualified to fly. He's almost a literal Icarus. But Icaruses and their Icarian wings, flights, attempts, goals, dreams, hopes, falls, and failures can be quite a bit more figurative. For example, if your friend quits his well-paying engineering job at age fifty and spends his life savings trying to become a professional football player, then ruins his knees in the process, you might describe his goal as Icarian. Or if some hotshot young app developer promises a bunch of people luxurious accommodations, gourmet meals, and a music festival on a gorgeous deserted island, then realizes it's impossible and leaves the guests stranded in dirty tents with cheese sandwiches, you might describe his plans as Icarian. Or fraud. That, too. examples: "[David Hume's widow, Martha] best captured Hume's Icarus-like spirit. 'He often said that he did not want to live so long as to be infirmed in any way. He wanted to be living as high and fast as he could.'"    — Chip Jones, The Organ Thieves, 2020 "In the view of some social philosophers and historians, space flight is an Icarian venture at its best—and an extravagance at its worst."    — Daily Telegraph, 1972 has this page helped you understand "Icarian"? Awesome, I'm glad it helped! Thanks for letting me know! If you have any questions about this word, please message me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. study it: Explain the meaning of "Icarian" without saying "outlandishly ambitious" or "ruinously aspiring." try it out: "Never regret thy fall, O Icarus of the fearless flight. For the greatest tragedy of them all Is never to feel the burning light." The Internet loves this little poem and often attributes it to Oscar Wilde, but I haven't found it in Wilde's works. (If you've got a source for it, please share it with me!) Talk about the extent to which you agree or disagree with the poem's message. When, if ever, is an Icarian flight a cause for regret? If you like, use this space to write. (To save your work, copy and paste it into an email or a document.) before you review, play: Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out. Our game this month is Crossword Clues: Defining by Rhyming! Check out the given term, and try to complete the definition by supplying a missing rhyming word. For example, if I give you "bevy = _ _ _ _ herd," then you give me "bird," because a bevy is a bird herd. To peek at the answer, scroll all the way down. Enjoy! alpha and omega = _ _ _ _ _ part review this word: 1. The opposite of ICARIAN is A. TRANQUIL (the normal, non-drugged way). B. WARM-HEARTED (the normal, non-arsonist way). C. DOWN-TO-EARTH (the normal, non-plummeting way). 2. Percy Bysshe Shelley observed, "Expectations are often _____ on Icarean _____, and fall." A. rolled .. hills B. raised .. tides C. exalted .. wings Answers to the review questions: 1. C 2. C Answer to the game question: alpha and omega = heart part a final word: I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love. I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words. From my blog: On vocabulary...       36 ways to study words.       Why we forget words, & how to remember them.       How to use sophisticated words without being awkward. On writing...       How to improve any sentence.       How to motivate our kids to write.       How to stop procrastinating and start writing.       How to bulk up your writing when you have to meet a word count. From my heart: a profound thanks to the generous patrons, donors, and sponsors that make it possible for me to write these emails. If you'd like to be a patron or a donor, please click here. If you'd like to be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. A disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.