🇫🇷French Source WordCode: FR

Icare

Pronunciation / Transliteration: /i.kaʁ/

🇬🇧 Direct English Meaning:
Icarus/ˈɪk.ə.rəs/
nounCEFR C2 (Proficient)Top #14200 frequency
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🇫🇷 Example Sentence in French:

"Son ambition excessive l'a conduit à jouer le rôle d'Icare."

Comprehensive Definitions & Senses

2 senses
As noun
  1. 1

    A figure in Greek mythology who flew too close to the sun with wings of feathers and wax, leading to his fatal fall when the wax melted.

    "His ambitious startup grew fast, but like Icarus, he flew too close to the sun and crashed."
  2. 2

    A symbol or metaphor for a person whose excessive ambition or rashness leads to inevitable ruin.

    "Financial history is full of modern-day Icaruses who ignored the warnings of prudent risk management."

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Antonyms & Contrasting Words (1)

Linguistic Origin & Historical Etymology

Derived from Ancient Greek Ἴκαρος (Ikaros), the mythological figure who flew too close to the sun with waxen wings. Through Latin, the name entered Western European languages to symbolize overweening ambition, hubris, and the inevitable downfall resulting from excessive pride or disregard for warnings.

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