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intrepid

UK/ɪnˈtɹɛpɪd/US/ɪnˈtɹɛpɪd/
adjectiveC1Occasional — familiar, but not everyday · #9,957 of 15,258neutral

Intrepid means fearless in the face of danger. An intrepid explorer, our intrepid reporter, intrepid travellers.

It is old-fashioned and now half-joking: our intrepid reporter is nearly always said with a smile. The Latin behind it means not trembling, which is a good deal more literal than the modern use suggests.

Definitions of intrepid

  1. 1adjectiveintrepidFearless in the face of danger.C1

    “The intrepid explorers crossed the frozen sea on foot.”

intrepid is a quality.

Where it comes from

Latin intrepidus, in-, not, plus trepidus, anxious or trembling. Trepidation is a relative.

  1. French

    intrépide

  2. English, today

    intrepid

Built from

  • in- · Latin — not
  • trepidus · Latin — anxious, nervous

Borrowed from French intrépide. From French intrépide, from Latin intrepidus, from in- (“not”) + trepidus (“anxious, nervous”).

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA

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