What does "bold" mean?
A dwelling; habitation; building.
Bold
/ˈbəʊld/ adj, name, noun, verb, slang
adj, name, noun, verb, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A dwelling; habitation; building.
- Grammar: bold is listed as adj, name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: boldface, abrupt, accent, adventuresome.
- Useful contrasts: afeard, afeared, afraid.
- Usage evidence: May I make so bold as to request your assistance?
How to use "bold"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "bold" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "bold" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "bold" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "bold" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "bold" is acting as adj, name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "boldface" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "bold", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A dwelling; habitation; building. obsolete
- 2 a typeface with thick heavy lines wordnet
Verb
- 1 To make (a font or some text) bold. informal, transitive
"Please bold all these subheads."
- 2 To make bold or daring. obsolete, transitive
"[…] for this buſines, It touches vs, as France inuades our land Not bolds the King, with others whome I feare, Moſt iuſt and heauy cauſes make oppoſe."
- 3 To become bold or brave. intransitive, obsolete
Adjective
- 1 Courageous, daring.
"Bold deeds win admiration and, sometimes, medals."
- 2 Acronym of blood-oxygen-level dependent. abbreviation, acronym, alt-of, not-comparable
- 3 Visually striking; conspicuous.
"the painter's bold use of colour and outline"
- 4 Having thicker strokes than the ordinary form of the typeface.
"Many bold fonts are available on this computer."
- 5 Presumptuous, forward or impudent.
"[…] even the boldeſt and moſt affirmative Philoſophy, which has ever attempted to impoſe its crude Dictates and Principles on Mankind."
Show 4 more definitions
- 6 Naughty; insolent; badly-behaved. Ireland
"All of her children are terribly bold and never do as they are told."
- 7 Full-bodied.
- 8 Pornographic; depicting nudity. Philippines
"The government warned bus operators against continuing to show bold content on buses."
- 9 Steep or abrupt.
"The grounds descend with a bold slope to the water's edge, and rise finely upwards above the mansion, abounding with fine trees, and ornamented by a range of building at a distance, in a corresponding style […]"
Adjective
- 1 fearless and daring wordnet
- 2 clear and distinct wordnet
- 3 very steep; having a prominent and almost vertical front wordnet
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname. countable, uncountable
- 2 A civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of St Helens, Merseyside, England. countable, uncountable
Example
"May I make so bold as to request your assistance?"
Common questions
What is a synonym for "bold"?
Common synonyms include: boldface, abrupt, accent, adventuresome, adventuring, adventurous.
How do you use "bold" in a sentence?
May I make so bold as to request your assistance?
How do you pronounce "bold"?
Pronounced /ˈbəʊld/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English bold, bolde, bald, beald, from Old English bald, beald (“bold, brave, confident, strong, of good courage, presumptuous, impudent”), from Proto-West Germanic *balþ, from Proto-Germanic *balþaz (“strong, bold”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰel-, *bʰlē- (“to bloat, swell, bubble”). Cognate with Dutch boud (“bold, courageous, fearless”), Middle High German balt (“bold”) (whence German bald (“soon”)), Swedish båld (“bold, dauntless”). Perhaps related to Albanian ballë (“forehead”) and Old Prussian balo (“forehead”). Compare typologically Italian affrontare (“to face, to deal with”), sfrontato (“bold, daring, insolent”), both from Latin frons (“forehead”).
Etymology 2
From Middle English bolden, balden, from Old English baldian, bealdian, from Proto-Germanic *balþōną, related to *balþaz (see above). Cognate with Old High German irbaldōn (“to become bold, dare”).
Etymology 3
From Middle English bold, from Old English bold, blod, bolt, botl (“house, dwelling-place, mansion, hall, castle, temple”), from Proto-Germanic *budlą, *buþlą (“house, dwelling”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰew- (“to grow, wax, swell”) or *bʰuH-. Cognate with Old Frisian bold (“house”) (whence North Frisian bol, boel, bøl (“house”)), North Frisian bodel, budel (“property, inheritance”), Middle Low German būdel (“property, real estate”). Related to build.
Etymology 4
* As an English surname, from the adjective bold (“daring courageous”) or the noun bold (“dwelling, house”). * As a Swedish and German surname, related to the adjective above, such as in Baldwin and Reinbold.