Make Your Point > Archived Issues > INTREPID
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pronounce
INTREPID:
Say it "in TREP id."
To hear it, click here.
connect this word to others:
Let's draw an analogy!
Fear is to fearless as ______ation is to intrepid.
(To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.)
definition:
Our word "intrepid" has Latin roots that literally mean "not shaking," or less literally, "not scared, or not alarmed."
Intrepid people and things seem brave, daring, and fearless.
grammatical bits:
Part of speech:
Adjective: "these intrepid workers."
Other forms:
The adverb is "intrepidly."
For the noun, pick between "intrepidness" or, my preference, "intrepidity." (Say it "IN truh PID ih tee." Hear it here.) (Why not "intrepidation"? I don't know! If you'd like to make "intrepidation" happen, go for it.)
The opposite of "intrepid" is, naturally, "trepid." It's rare. Its other forms are "trepidly," "trepidness," and "trepidation," a semi-common word. There's also "trepidatious" and "trepidatiously," but I recommend sticking with "trepid" and "trepidly," which sound more tidy.
how to use it:
"Intrepid" has a positive, dramatic tone. It's formal and semi-common, so it's great for calling just a little extra attention to your idea.
We often talk about intrepid heroes, explorers, and pioneers. But any worker who takes risks and makes good things happen can be called intrepid; for example, intrepid firefighters and intrepid healthcare workers are those who endanger themselves for the safety of others.
Although it's usually people that we call intrepid, we can also talk about intrepid deeds, voices, faces, travels, adventures, etc.
Because the word "intrepid" is so positive and so dramatic, it can sound a little cliché, which makes it great for humor and exaggeration. Here's Kim Lyons for The Verge: "Hello it is I, your intrepid murder hornet correspondent."
examples:
"Suppose an intrepid astronaut on the surface of the collapsing star, collapsing inward with it, sent a signal every second, according to his watch, to his spaceship orbiting about the star."
— Stephen Hawking, A Brief History of Time, 1988
"The intrepid Cliff Simon scours the Louisiana bayous in search of a mythic swamp monster called the rougarou."
— Matt Cooper, Los Angeles Times, 24 July 2020
has this page helped you understand "intrepid"?
study it:
Explain the meaning of "intrepid" without saying "fearless" or "dauntless."
try it out:
As reported in The Guardian, Florida hosts a yearly event called the Python Bowl, which invites "intrepid reptile hunters" to catch pythons: enormous snakes that threaten other wildlife.
Would you be intrepid enough to participate? Why or why not? If not, what's something else you've done (or something else you're willing to do) that requires intrepidity?
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 for January is "Find the Missing Link."
In each chain of words, find the one that's missing from the middle. This missing link, according to a thesaurus, is a synonym of each word on its left and right. But as you'll see, the words on the left and right are most definitely not synonyms!
For example, if I give you "special → _____ → typical," then you answer, "peculiar," because sometimes "peculiar" means "special, different, odd," but other times it means "typical of this, specific to this, distinctively this."
To see the answer, scroll all the way down. Your answer might be different from mine but just as good. Enjoy!
Try this one today:
ban → _____ → modify
review this word:
A. THIN-SKINNED.
B. FAINT-HEARTED.
C. COLD-BLOODED.
2. Singing _____, Elsa shows her intrepid side.
A. "Let it Go"
B. "Show Yourself"
C. "Into the Unknown"
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:
36 ways to study words.
Why we forget words, & how to remember them.
How to use sophisticated words without being awkward.
To be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.
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.
Let's draw an analogy!
Our word "intrepid" has Latin roots that literally mean "not shaking," or less literally, "not scared, or not alarmed."
Part of speech:
"Intrepid" has a positive, dramatic tone. It's formal and semi-common, so it's great for calling just a little extra attention to your idea.
"Suppose an intrepid astronaut on the surface of the collapsing star, collapsing inward with it, sent a signal every second, according to his watch, to his spaceship orbiting about the star."
Explain the meaning of "intrepid" without saying "fearless" or "dauntless."
As reported in The Guardian, Florida hosts a yearly event called the Python Bowl, which invites "intrepid reptile hunters" to catch pythons: enormous snakes that threaten other wildlife.
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.
I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love.
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