audacity

[ aw-das-i-tee ]

/ ɔˈdæs ɪ ti /

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noun, plural au·dac·i·ties.

boldness or daring, especially with confident or arrogant disregard for personal safety, conventional thought, or other restrictions.

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

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

OTHER WORDS FOR audacity

1 nerve, spunk, grit, temerity, foolhardiness.

2 impudence, impertinence, brashness.

See synonyms for audacity on Thesaurus.com

OPPOSITES FOR audacity

1, 2 discretion, prudence.

See antonyms for audacity on Thesaurus.com

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Origin of audacity

1400–50; late Middle English audacite<Latin audāc-, stem of audāx daring (adj.) + -ite-ity

Words nearby audacity

auction pitch, auctorial, aucuba, AUD, audacious, audacity, Aude, Auden, Auden, W. H., Audhumla, audial

How to use audacity in a sentence

Like several recent high-profile hacks, the sheer scale and audacity of the theft immediately attracted attention from cybersecurity researchers and law enforcement.
Hackers are returning the spoils of the world’s largest crypto heist|Nicolás Rivero|August 12, 2021|Quartz
Then, in 1966, the 33-year-old met an irreverent 26-year-old musician at one of her shows in London — one who had the audacity to take a bite out of one of the apples she had staged in her exhibit.
The Love Story of John and Yoko, 50 Years Later|Sean Braswell|August 3, 2021|Ozy
The audacity of the proposal fit with Prince’s record as a businessman.
Exclusive: Documents Reveal Erik Prince's $10 Billion Plan to Make Weapons and Create a Private Army in Ukraine|Simon Shuster/Kyiv|July 7, 2021|Time
It’s the audacity of passing laws about people you don’t care about meeting or understanding, and to believe the worst about them.
These Trans Kids Are Trying to Survive Tennessee’s ‘Slate of Hate’|Tim Teeman|May 21, 2021|The Daily Beast

It hints at audacity, which should replace survival as the prevailing theme of a league that has come of age.
The WNBA once worried about survival. Now it has a bolder vision.|Jerry Brewer|May 14, 2021|Washington Post
In the end, talent and technique got the better of ardor and audacity.
Team USA Goes Down Swinging in 2-1 World Cup Loss to Belgium|Tunku Varadarajan|July 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Many rock artists “borrowed” material from black blues artists, but few did so with more audacity than Jimmy Page.
Did Led Zeppelin Steal ‘Stairway to Heaven’?|Ted Gioia|May 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
They have a great sense of performance, bravado, and audacity.
The Great Character Actor: Guy Pearce on His Brilliant Career, From ‘Priscilla’ to ‘The Rover’|Richard Porton|May 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
As David Plouffe detailed in his book, The Audacity To Win, the campaign had committed in writing to stay in the federal system.
Federal Campaign Funds: Easier Money|Stuart Stevens|April 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He's someone with huge potential, in line with the spirit of Vuitton - creative audacity with extreme refinement.
Fashion Critic Cathy Horyn Leaves New York Times; Miley Cyrus Gets Naked For 'W' Magazine|The Fashion Beast Team|January 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
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