Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
kamikaze approach

kamikaze approach

8.6
A very risky way of acting that can harm yourself or others
  • noun
  • /ˌkɑːmɪˈkɑːzeɪ əˈproʊtʃ/
translation icon : enfoque kamikaze
  • Taking a kamikaze approach to negotiations can often lead to disastrous results.

Examples

  • His decision to invest all his savings was a kamikaze approach.

  • The team's kamikaze approach to marketing led to their sudden downfall.

  • Her kamikaze approach to rock climbing worried her friends.

  • The team's kamikaze approach paid off, but it could have ended very badly.

  • Taking a kamikaze approach to his finances, he spent all his savings on risky investments.

  • Her kamikaze approach to driving often left her in dangerous situations.

  • The company's kamikaze approach to product launches resulted in multiple failures.

Synonyms

recklessness
vskamikaze approach
18 5.2

Acting without caring about danger or what might happen

is a self-destructive planned strategy that accepts severe risk
brinkmanship
vskamikaze approach
  • Literature
4 9.9

A risky way of acting that pushes events to the edge to force a decision

is a self-destructive tactic that does not stop before disaster
adventurism
vskamikaze approach
  • Literature
3 7.9

Actions that are bold and risky, often in politics, and ignore careful planning

is a planned self-destructive tactic rather than impulsive risky action

Surface Forms

kamikaze approach singular
kamikaze approaches plural

Morphology

kamikaze + approach

The noun phrase is directly compositional: 'kamikaze' (recklessly self-destructive) modifies 'approach' (a method or strategy), so the combined meaning 'a reckless, self-destructive strategy' follows immediately from the parts. This adjective + noun pattern is transparent and cross-linguistically recognizable (many languages borrow 'kamikaze'), so a B1 learner who knows both words should be able to infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

The phrase kamikaze approach comes from World War II, when kamikaze pilots deliberately crashed their planes into enemy ships. Because those pilots gave up their lives, the expression now describes a way of acting that is 'very risky' or 'not caring about the consequences'.