dauntless

American  

[dawnt-lis, dahnt-] / ˈdɔnt lɪs, ˈdɑnt- /

adjective

1. not to be daunted or intimidated; fearless; intrepid; bold.

   a dauntless hero.

   Synonyms:

   courageous, brave, indomitable, daring, undaunted

   Antonyms:

   timid, fearful

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noun

1. Also called Douglas SBD.  (initial capital letter) the principal U.S. Navy fleet bomber of early World War II, capable of carrying bombs or depth charges and particularly successful as a dive bomber.

dauntless British  

/ ˈdɔːntlɪs /

adjective

1. bold; fearless; intrepid

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Other Word Forms

• dauntlessly adverb
• dauntlessness noun

Etymology

Origin of dauntless

First recorded in 1585–95; daunt + -less

Explanation

A dauntless person is someone who isn't easily frightened or intimidated. If your dance moves bring to mind a marionette being jerked around by a five-year-old but you jump on the dance floor anyway, you could be considered dauntless. The adjective dauntless is a variant of the noun daunt, which means "to intimidate or cause fear." Both words are related to another family of "D" words — dominate, domestic, domain. They all go back to the Latin root domare, which means "to tame." If you're dauntless, it means you're like a tiger or a wild horse — you can't be dominated or tamed.

Example Sentences

Then came a new refrain, determined and dauntless: “Pali strong!”

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 12, 2025

It fit that when Elena Rybakina’s last dauntless forehand landed just long to end matters at 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, Sabalenka fell to the court, stared upward and sobbed.

From Washington Post • Jan. 28, 2023

The stats and his dauntless performances under pressure seem to suggest that it’s not just talk.

From Seattle Times • Oct. 1, 2021

Diligent and dauntless, she reinvented herself again and began looking after several family properties, managing the farms and overseeing the workers.

From Washington Times • May 1, 2020

This isn’t quite as good, although it has its own song: In days of yore, from Britain’s shore, Wolfe, the dauntless hero, came And planted firm Britannia’s flag On Canada’s fair domain.

From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood