audacious

au·da·cious
A1U1D2A1C3I1O1U1S1
UK/ɔːˈdeɪ.ʃəs/US/ɔˈdeɪ.ʃəs/cot caught merger/ɑˈdeɪ.ʃəs/

adjective

Showing willingness to take bold risks; recklessly daring.

Meanings

adjectiveaudacious (comparative more audacious, superlative most audacious)

comparative more audacious · superlative most audacious

  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

Synonyms & antonyms

adjectiveShowing willingness to take bold risks; recklessly daring.

adjectiveImpudent, insolent.

More synonyms by meaning

adjectiveinvulnerable to fear or intimidation

adjectiveunrestrained by convention or propriety

adjectivedisposed to venture or take risks

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Latinaudacia“boldness”
  2. Englishaudacious

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

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Bulgarian смел, дързък
  • смел (smel)showing willingness to take bold risks
  • дързък (dărzăk)impudent
Catalan audaç
  • audaçshowing willingness to take bold risks
Chinese Mandarin 大膽的 /大胆的, 厚顏無恥的 /厚颜无耻的
  • 大膽的 /大胆的 (dàdǎn de)showing willingness to take bold risks
  • 厚顏無恥的 /厚颜无耻的 (hòuyánwúchǐ de)impudent
Czech neohrožený, statečný
  • neohroženýshowing willingness to take bold risks
  • statečnýshowing willingness to take bold risks
  • odvážnýshowing willingness to take bold risks
  • chrabrýshowing willingness to take bold risks
  • drzýimpudent
  • nestydatýimpudent
  • nestoudnýimpudent
  • bezostyšnýimpudent
Danish vågehalset, dristig
  • vågehalsetshowing willingness to take bold risks
  • dristigshowing willingness to take bold risks
Dutch onvervaard, driest
  • onvervaardshowing willingness to take bold risks
  • driestshowing willingness to take bold risks
  • koenshowing willingness to take bold risks
  • vermetelshowing willingness to take bold risks
  • waaghalzigshowing willingness to take bold risks
  • audacieusshowing willingness to take bold risks
  • schaamteloosimpudent
  • driestimpudent
Esperanto aŭdaca, maltima
  • aŭdacashowing willingness to take bold risks
  • maltimashowing willingness to take bold risks
  • impertinentaimpudent
  • insolentaimpudent
Finnish uskalias, rohkea
  • uskaliasshowing willingness to take bold risks
  • rohkeashowing willingness to take bold risks
  • röyhkeäimpudent
French audacieux
  • audacieuxshowing willingness to take bold risks
German kühn, unverfroren
  • kühnshowing willingness to take bold risks
  • unverfrorenshowing willingness to take bold risks
  • waghalsigshowing willingness to take bold risks
  • kühnimpudent
  • unverfrorenimpudent
  • dreistimpudent
  • dummdreistimpudent
Hungarian merész, vakmerő
  • merészshowing willingness to take bold risks
  • vakmerőshowing willingness to take bold risks
  • szemtelenimpudent
Irish neamhnáireach
  • neamhnáireachshowing willingness to take bold risks
Italian audace, azzardato
  • audaceshowing willingness to take bold risks
  • azzardatoimpudent
  • avventatoimpudent
Latin audax, impudens
  • audaxshowing willingness to take bold risks
  • impudensimpudent
Norwegian dristig
  • dristigshowing willingness to take bold risks
Norwegian Bokmål djerv
  • djervshowing willingness to take bold risks
Persian جسور, بیمحابا
  • جسور (jasur)showing willingness to take bold risks
  • بیمحابا (bi-mohâbâ)showing willingness to take bold risks
  • بیپروا (bi-parvâ)showing willingness to take bold risks
  • گستاخ (gostâx)impudent
Polish śmiały, zuchwały
  • śmiałyshowing willingness to take bold risks
  • zuchwałyshowing willingness to take bold risks
  • aroganckiimpudent
  • bezczelnyimpudent
  • bezwstydnyimpudent
  • czelnyimpudent
  • hucpiarskiimpudent
  • impertynenckiimpudent
  • tupeciarskiimpudent
  • zuchwałyimpudent
Portuguese audaz
  • audazshowing willingness to take bold risks
Russian отва́жный, сме́лый
  • отва́жный (otvážnyj)showing willingness to take bold risks
  • сме́лый (smélyj)showing willingness to take bold risks
  • де́рзкий (dérzkij)impudent
  • наха́льный (naxálʹnyj)impudent
  • на́глый (náglyj)impudent
Scottish Gaelic dalm
  • dalmimpudent
Spanish audaz, entrón
  • audazshowing willingness to take bold risks
  • entrónshowing willingness to take bold risks
  • aventadoshowing willingness to take bold risks
Swedish våghalsig, djärv
  • våghalsigshowing willingness to take bold risks
  • djärvshowing willingness to take bold risks
  • dristigtshowing willingness to take bold risks
Turkish cesur, gözü pek
  • cesurshowing willingness to take bold risks
  • gözü pekshowing willingness to take bold risks
  • arsızimpudent
  • cesurimpudent
  • gözü pekimpudent
Ukrainian відва́жний, сміли́вий
  • відва́жний (vidvážnyj)showing willingness to take bold risks
  • сміли́вий (smilývyj)showing willingness to take bold risks
  • хоро́брий (khoróbryj)showing willingness to take bold risks
  • безстра́шний (bezstrášnyj)showing willingness to take bold risks
  • зухва́лий (zukhvályj)impudent
  • наха́бний (nakhábnyj)impudent
  • безсоро́мний (bezsorómnyj)impudent
  • хамови́тий (khamovýtyj)impudent
  • розпере́заний (rozperézanyj)impudent
  • нахра́пистий (nakhrápystyj)impudent
  • безче́льний (bezčél'nyj)impudent
  • ха́мський (kháms'kyj)impudent

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with audacious

All rhymes →
Cite this entry
APA

audacious. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/audacious

MLA

“audacious.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/audacious. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “audacious,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/audacious.

Source: audacious on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.