noun ·Moderate ·College level

Definitions

Noun

1. 1
   Insolent boldness, especially when imprudent or unconventional. countable, uncountable

   "The brash private had the audacity to criticize the general."

2. 2
   aggressive boldness or unmitigated effrontery wordnet
3. 3
   Fearlessness, intrepidity or daring, especially with confident disregard for personal safety, conventional thought, or other restrictions. countable, uncountable
4. 4
   fearless daring wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms

audaciousnessaudaciousnesstemerityadventuresomenessadventurousnessarrogance

Example

More examples

"I was amazed at the audacity of the student to ask the lecturer such a personal question."

Etymology

From late Middle English audacite, from Medieval Latin audacitas, from Latin audax (“bold”), from audeō (“I am bold, I dare”).

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.