audacious

American  

[aw-dey-shuhs] / ɔˈdeɪ ʃəs /

adjective

1. extremely bold or daring; recklessly brave; fearless.

   an audacious explorer.

   Synonyms:

   venturesome, dauntless, intrepid, courageous

   Antonyms:

   cowardly

2. extremely original; without restriction to prior ideas; highly inventive.

   an audacious vision of the city's bright future.

3. recklessly bold in defiance of convention, propriety, law, or the like; insolent; brazen.

   Synonyms:

   forward, impertinent, shameless, unabashed

4. lively; unrestrained; uninhibited.

   an audacious interpretation of her role.

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audacious British  

/ ɔːˈdeɪʃəs, ɔːˈdæsɪtɪ /

adjective

1. recklessly bold or daring; fearless

2. impudent or presumptuous

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Other Word Forms

• audaciously adverb
• audaciousness noun
• unaudacious adjective
• unaudaciously adverb
• unaudaciousness noun

Etymology

Origin of audacious

First recorded in 1540–50; audaci(ty) + -ous

Explanation

This adjective is very bold — if you are audacious, you are daring and unconventional! The adjective audacious comes from the Latin word audacia and means "daring, boldness, courage," and often gets applied in situations where someone does something pretty unusual, like becoming an astronaut and going to the moon. It can also mean challenging conventions and doing things that most people don't do, such as when Elizabeth Blackwell became the first woman in the United States to become a doctor. Blackwell then inspired Elizabeth Garrett Anderson to become the first female doctor in England. And the rest is history!

Example Sentences

Borgli’s audacious, stark writing defies faux outrage, even if that performative indignation will be an inevitable product of a film so daring.

From Salon • Apr. 3, 2026

The first major international title to be decided on penalties was the 1976 European Championship – with the winning kick the now infamous and audacious chip named after Antonin Panenka.

From BBC • Mar. 28, 2026

"I was ambitious, audacious and a little bit of naive," will.i.am said of pursuing the project.

From Barron's • Mar. 18, 2026

Establishing a global city and financial hub to rival Singapore or London was always an audacious undertaking.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 13, 2026

Negotiating furiously, he assembled a force of as many as 200,000 men and built thirteen big ships in an audacious plan to assault Tenochtitlan from the water.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann

Related Words

• adventurous
• bold
• courageous
• foolhardy
• resolute
• risky