tearaway

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/ˈtɛəɹəweɪ/

noun

An impetuous and reckless person who is difficult to control; a hothead.

Similar
tearabouthotheadedimpulsiveimpetuousmadcapbrainishincautious
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Meanings

nountearaway (plural tearaways)

plural tearaways

  1. UKderogatoryinformalAn impetuous and reckless person who is difficult to control; a hothead.

    She opened her heart / To a tearaway (sheepskin tearaway) / Was covered with scars / And full of heroin

    2009, Peter Doherty, “Sheepskin Tearaway”, in Grace/Wastelands

    Synonyms: tearabout

Synonyms & antonyms

nounAn impetuous and reckless person who is difficult to control; a hothead.

Similar
tearabout

More synonyms by meaning

adjectivecharacterized by undue haste and lack of thought or deliberation

Similar
hotheadedimpulsiveimpetuousmadcapbrainishincautious
Also see
brainishhotheadedimpetuousimpulsivemadcaptearabouttroublemakeryob

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

From tear + away.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Spanish alborotador, elemento
  • alborotadorimpetuous and reckless person who is difficult to control; a hothead
  • elementoimpetuous and reckless person who is difficult to control; a hothead
Cite this entry
APA

tearaway. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tearaway

MLA

“tearaway.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tearaway. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “tearaway,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tearaway.

Source: tearaway on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.