Icarus

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A young man in Greek myth who flies too close to the sun with wings of feathers and wax

proper noun
/ˈɪkərəs/

Literature

: Ícaro

When the heat from the sun melted the wax on his wings, Icarus fell from the sky.
Daedalus and Icarus

Examples

The tragic tale of Icarus warns against hubris and ignoring limitations.
That melted the wax and Icarus sadly fell to his death as a result.
And remember the story of Icarus, whose father gave him wings made of wax and warned him not to fly too close to the sun.

Kong: Skull Island (2017)
The myth of Daedalus and Icarus has been passed down from ancient Greece.

Fiction book (2001)
In the myth of Icarus, Icarus, full of the folly that comes with pride, flew too high and the sun melted his wings.

Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues (2013)
But Daedalus ingeniously devised wings, enabling him and Icarus to escape by air over the sea.

Academic text (1997)
Daedalus, ancient Greece's genius inventor, hasn't been the same since losing his child Icarus to the sun.
In Greek mythology, Icarus flew too close to the sun, causing his wings to melt.
According to legend, Icarus ignored his father's advice and met a disastrous fate.

Surface Forms

Icarus main

Etymology

Icarus comes from a Greek myth about a young man who flew with wings made of wax and feathers. The wax melted when he flew too close to the sun and he fell into the sea. So calling someone an Icarus is a way to say they were 'too ambitious' or took a dangerous risk that ended in failure.