Temeraria

Temeraria is the feminine form of temerário, an adjective in Portuguese used to describe actions, decisions, or persons marked by rashness, audacity, or a lack of caution. The term carries a negative connotation, signaling risk or disregard for potential consequences. The masculine form temerário is used with masculine nouns, while temeraria agrees in gender and number with feminine nouns.

Etymology and meaning: Temeraria derives from the Latin temerarius, which in turn comes from temere, meaning rashly, by chance, or without fear. In Portuguese, the word has retained the sense of acting without sufficient caution or respect for risk.

Usage and contexts: Temerária is commonly found in formal or journalistic writing as well as in everyday speech. Common collocations include ação temerária (reckless action), medidas temerárias (reckless measures), and decisão temerária (reckless decision). It can describe a person, as in uma pessoa temerária, though depending on nuance, more precise synonyms such as imprudente (imprudent) or ousada (bold) may be chosen. In legal or safety contexts, the term may appear in phrases like ato temerário to denote conduct with obvious risk or liability.

Forms and related terms: The noun form temeridade denotes the quality of being temerário or acting rashly. Related adjectives include imprudente and ousado, while antonyms include prudente and cauteloso.

See also: prudência, imprudência, ousadia, cautela.