audacious

[aw-dey-shuhs]

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.

audacious

/ ɔːˈdeɪʃəs, ɔːˈdæsɪtɪ /

adjective

1. recklessly bold or daring; fearless

2. impudent or presumptuous

Other Word Forms

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of audacious¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of audacious¹

C16: from Latin audāx bold, from audēre to dare

Example Sentences

A wide and a dot ball followed after which Cox, who was left out of England's white-ball squads on Friday, played an audacious reverse scoop over third man to the seamer's final ball.

From BBC

Historians have interpreted this as the era’s political satire: the magpie, audacious in the presence of a great predator, represented the common man standing up to the nobility.

From Los Angeles Times

Duckett danced down the pitch and played the audacious shots over his shoulder.

From BBC

Despite Newt, the introduction of children as regular characters feels almost audacious for this horror franchise.

From Salon

Wilson said the album would be a “teenage symphony to God,” a piece of music so audacious it would unlock the straitjacket he felt was keeping pop music bland and predictable.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

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