Audacious
adjective /ɔːˈdeɪʃəs/ — Willing to take bold, daring risks — with fearless disregard for conventional limits.
Definition
Showing a willingness to take surprisingly bold risks or make unexpectedly confident moves — characterised by fearless daring, often of the kind that makes everyone else briefly wonder if it will work.
Beyond the definition
Audacious is bolder than brave. Brave acknowledges the danger; audacious sometimes seems not to. There is a theatricality to audacity: it is daring that knows it's being watched, that performs its own courage.
Origin & history
Latin 'audax' (bold, daring), from 'audere' (to dare). Related to 'audacity.' The same root as the impulse to hear or face something.
Example sentences
Illustrative sentences for learning, not verified community posts or sourced quotations.
The audacious offer arrived without warning and changed everything.
She made an audacious claim and then calmly supported every word of it.
Audacious is not reckless — it's calculated boldness dressed as spontaneity.
Synonyms
bold, daring, fearless, intrepid, brazen
Antonyms
timid, cautious, tentative
Related words
Audacious vs bold
Bold indicates confidence and lack of fear. Audacious implies a more shocking or risky kind of boldness that might push boundaries of social norms or safety to achieve a daring result.
Word in the Wild
See how this word appears in life, language and stories.
Illustrative sentences and imagined stories for learning — not verified sightings, interviews, or sourced quotations.
Fictional scene
Violinist's intense skill and motion
A close-up of a musician’s fingers dancing across violin strings, catching the slight tension and blurred motion of performance.
The musician's willingness to push the tempo and intensity of the music is an audacious move, daring to challenge the technical limits of the instrument. It reflects a fearless, confident style that commands the audience’s attention and wonder.
Image credit: Wordspun · AI-generated conceptual illustration