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unadventurous

unadventurous

1 5.3
Not willing to try new or risky things
  • adjective
  • /ˌʌnədˈvɛnʧərəs/
translation icon : poco aventurero
  • The poetry women wrote in France in the nineteenth century and early decades of the twentieth is unadventurous in form and style.

Examples

  • A life that drifts along with little excitement from cradle to grave seems very depressing, unimaginative, and unadventurous.

    Blog text (11)
  • While the movie starts off a bit slow and unadventurous, loose ends are tied up, making it an awesome finale.

    Blog text (27)
  • With the tender mind and heart he got from his mother at birth, Buck had wanted an unadventurous life.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • As far as I was concerned, character and discipline were consolation prizes given to the meek, the unadventurous, and the unlucky.

    Fiction book (2002)
  • They sufficed; customers who had aged along with her had grown unadventurous, and the young cared only for flamboyance.

    Fiction book (2000)
  • Many of the pop songs—including R.E.M.'s "Everybody Hurts"—were sung in Italian, in harmonically unadventurous arrangements of sober rhythms and yearning strings.

    Blog text (23)
  • Many people find that the unadventurous choices in their routines make life dull.

  • He is often seen as unadventurous because he prefers staying home to trying new restaurants.

  • Despite being offered a chance to travel, her unadventurous nature kept her at home.

Synonyms

pusillanimous
vsunadventurous
  • Offensive
2 9.9

Easily afraid and not willing to take risks

is more about avoiding new activities than about being fearful
nonenterprising
vsunadventurous
7.9

Not willing to take risks or try new things

is about avoiding new or exciting activities rather than just projects
unenterprising
vsunadventurous
7.6

Not willing to try new things or take risks

is about avoiding new or exciting activities rather than lacking ambition
unexplorative
vsunadventurous
8.5

Not willing to try new ideas, places, or experiences

is broader covering unwillingness to take risks beyond exploration
unassured
vsunadventurous
6.3

Not confident and acting unsure

is about unwillingness to try new things rather than mere self doubt

Antonyms

257 2.7

Willing to take risks and act confidently

65 3.6

Willing to try new and sometimes risky things

How Adventurous

reckless
193 3.6
daring
1 3.2
adventurous
65 3.6
cautious
210 2.9
unadventurous
1 5.3
timid
1 3.5

Surface Forms

unadventurous positive

Morphology

unadventurous = adventurous (transparent) = un + adventure + ous

The adjective 'adventurous' is clearly formed from 'adventure' + '-ous', and adding the negation prefix 'un-' yields the straightforward opposite meaning.

Etymology

Unadventurous starts with un- meaning 'not' and the part adventure, which is like the common word venture meaning 'to risk' or 'try something new'. So, unadventurous describes someone who is 'not' willing to take risks or try new, exciting things.