death defying
Flirting with mortality
Death defying describes acts so dangerous they seem to risk death: a death-defying leap across the canyon, death-defying stunts.
The phrase implies not just danger but a boldness that challenges mortality itself.
Often hyphenated when used before a noun.
Despite its dramatic sound, the term appears frequently enough to have lost some punch—a "death-defying" circus act may carry carefully managed risk.
- daredevilReckless risk-taker
- stuntDangerous feat for spectacle
- fearlessLacking any apprehension
- recklessCarelessly ignoring danger
- thrillingIntensely exciting
living on the edge · adrenaline · audacious · perilous · high wire · brave · acrobat · tightrope · freefall · stuntman · human cannonball · harrowing · close call · near miss · bold · risky · cliff · plunge
- circuscircus, big top, clown, clowns, ringmaster
- thrill drivesthrill seeking, sensation seeking, adrenaline rush, excitement, daring
- circus termstrapeze artist, lion tamer, big top, juggler, tightrope walker
- close callsclose call, near miss, narrow escape, close shave, nick of time
death defyingcowardly
Without bravery or nerve
timid · faint-hearted · cautious · risk-averse · fearful
death defyingmundane
Commonplace, lacking excitement
boring · routine · ordinary · uneventful · unremarkable
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