audacious

What it means

1. Showing willingness to take bold risks; recklessly daring.

   Cuba’s economy minister described "audacious" measures to tame inflation…

   2022 May 14, Dave Sherwood and Nelson Acosta, “Cuba sees hints of recovery, announces "audacious" measures to tame inflation”, in Reuters, archived from the original on 23 Jul 2022

   3 more examples

   It was an audacious thing for her to attempt, but boldness had often served her turn before.

   1871, Anthony Trollope, The Eustace Diamonds

   That such a safe adaptation could come of The Hunger Games speaks more to the trilogy’s commercial ascent than the book’s actual content, which is audacious and savvy in its dark calculations.

   2012 March 22, Scott Tobias, “The Hunger Games”, in AV Club, archived from the original on 27 Mar 2013

   The audacious hijacking in Paris of a van carrying the baggage of a Saudi prince to his private jet is obviously an embarrassment to the French capital, whose ultra-high-end boutiques have suffered a spate of heists in recent months.

   2014 August 21, “A brazen heist in Paris [print version: International New York Times, 22 August 2014, p. 8]”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 17 Dec 2020

   Synonyms: bold, daring, courageous, intrepid, venturesome, temeritous, temerarious · Antonyms: shy, cautious, prudent

2. Impudent, insolent.

   Synonyms: impudent, presumptuous, brazen, cheeky

In a sentence

It was an audacious thing for her to attempt, but boldness had often served her turn before.

1871, Anthony Trollope, The Eustace Diamonds

Where it comes from

1. Latinaudacia“boldness”
2. Englishaudacious

From Latin audacia (“boldness”) + -ious, from audax (“bold”), from audeō (“to be bold, to dare”).