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audacious

American  
[aw-dey-shuhs] / ɔˈdeɪ ʃəs /

adjective

  1. extremely bold or daring; recklessly brave; fearless.

    an audacious explorer.

    Synonyms:
    venturesome, dauntless, intrepid, courageous
    Antonyms:
    cowardly
  2. extremely original; without restriction to prior ideas; highly inventive.

    an audacious vision of the city's bright future.

  3. recklessly bold in defiance of convention, propriety, law, or the like; insolent; brazen.

    Synonyms:
    forward, impertinent, shameless, unabashed
  4. lively; unrestrained; uninhibited.

    an audacious interpretation of her role.


audacious British  
/ ɔːˈdeɪʃəs, ɔːˈdæsɪtɪ /

adjective

  1. recklessly bold or daring; fearless

  2. impudent or presumptuous

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • audaciously adverb
  • audaciousness noun
  • unaudacious adjective
  • unaudaciously adverb
  • unaudaciousness noun

Etymology

Origin of audacious

First recorded in 1540–50; audaci(ty) + -ous

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The series boasts both monster-of-the-week camp and some of the most moving writing and audacious character arcs that have ever graced the small screen.

From Salon

"I was ambitious, audacious and a little bit of naive," will.i.am said of pursuing the project.

From Barron's

Establishing a global city and financial hub to rival Singapore or London was always an audacious undertaking.

From The Wall Street Journal

From these narrow scraps grew “The Star of Redemption,” an audacious 1921 book conceived under fire that asks what remains of love—both human and divine—after war has marched a continent into the mud.

From The Wall Street Journal

The six of us listen in silence as she explains the audacious plan.

From Literature