audacity

[ aw-das-i-tee ]
See synonyms for audacity on Thesaurus.com
noun,plural au·dac·i·ties.
  1. boldness or daring, especially with confident or arrogant disregard for personal safety, conventional thought, or other restrictions.

  2. effrontery or insolence; shameless boldness: His questioner's audacity shocked the lecturer.

  1. Usually audacities . audacious or particularly bold or daring acts or statements.

Origin of audacity

1
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English audacite, equivalent to Latin audāc- (stem of audāx “bold, daring”) + -ity

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Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use audacity in a sentence

  • But they soon fell out, for Murat had the audacity to try and make these patriots fight instead of merely seeking plunder.

    Napoleon's Marshals | R. P. Dunn-Pattison
  • Scarce a day passed without some engagement in which the King of Naples showed his audacity and his talent as a leader.

    Napoleon's Marshals | R. P. Dunn-Pattison
  • As Marquise de Condillac it hurt her pride to listen and not have him whipped for his audacity; as a woman it insulted her.

    St. Martin's Summer | Rafael Sabatini
  • Felizardo was remarkable for his audacity, his fine horsemanship, and his expert marksmanship.

    The Philippine Islands | John Foreman
  • audacity, ever excellent in war, is sound as a proposition of Euclid in operations against Asiatics.

    The Red Year | Louis Tracy