bold
Americanadjective
-
bolder,
comparative
-
boldest
superlative
-
not hesitating or fearful in the face of actual or possible danger or rebuff; courageous and daring.
a bold hero.
-
not hesitating to break the rules of propriety; forward; impudent.
He apologized for being so bold as to speak to the emperor.
- Antonyms:
- modest
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necessitating courage and daring; challenging.
a bold adventure.
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beyond the usual limits of conventional thought or action; imaginative.
Einstein was a bold mathematician.
a difficult problem needing a bold answer.
-
striking or conspicuous to the eye; flashy; showy.
a bold pattern.
-
a bold promontory.
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Nautical. deep enough to be navigable close to the shore.
bold waters.
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Printing. typeset in boldface.
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Obsolete. trusting; assured.
idioms
adjective
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courageous, confident, and fearless; ready to take risks
-
showing or requiring courage
a bold plan
-
immodest or impudent
she gave him a bold look
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standing out distinctly; conspicuous
a figure carved in bold relief
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very steep
the bold face of the cliff
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imaginative in thought or expression
the novel's bold plot
-
printing set in bold face
noun
Synonym Usage
Bold, brazen, forward, presumptuous may refer to manners in a derogatory way. Bold suggests impudence, shamelessness, and immodesty: a bold stare. Brazen suggests the same, together with a defiant manner: a brazen liar. Forward implies making oneself unduly prominent or bringing oneself to notice with too much assurance. Presumptuous implies overconfidence, effrontery, taking too much for granted.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Adjectives
Etymology
Origin of bold
First recorded before 1000; Middle English bald, bold, Old English b(e)ald; cognate with Old Saxon, Old High German bald, Dutch boud “bold,” Old Norse ballr “dire,” from unattested Germanic bálthaz; akin to Welsh balch “proud,” Irish balc “strong”
Explanation
Someone who's bold is daring and brave. You might show how bold you are by climbing onto the roof of your house, or by speaking up when you see someone being treated unfairly. When you act in a bold way, you're taking some kind of risk; you could be risking physical danger, embarrassment, or your reputation. Whatever bold actions you take, they are confident and fearless. The adjective bold can also be used to describe a particular typeface that is thick, dark, and confident. Bold type is usually used to emphasize something strongly in writing.
Vocabulary lists containing bold
Language and Grammar - Introductory
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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.
See Examples For:
Ian Martin stated: "It's quite a bold statement and I think you have to be bold to compete and take Jaguar into a new market."
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
The living room is anchored by a bold, black brick fireplace that brings warmth to the area both literally and visually.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 7, 2026
ESA's Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer, 'Juice', is humankind's next bold mission to the outer Solar System.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 3, 2026
A bold and offbeat move, it draws upon notions of art and its place in the human psyche.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026
I stare at the email, bold and unread in my inbox.
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
We need both candidates to be bolder, more creative, more convincing, and to tell us things we haven’t heard before.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026
On the train to Ukraine, Burnham met EU Council President Antonio Costa, telling him "the UK had to be bolder in terms of getting closer to the bloc", according to Downing Street.
From Barron's ● Sep. 2, 2026
Investors wonder if Ternus will make bolder bets on new technologies, according to Bank of America analyst Wamsi Mohan.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 20, 2026
“A potential series of small policy moves would be better than waiting and eventually concluding that even bolder actions were necessary,” he said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026
“I can skip!” said Peach, bolder by the minute.
From Each Little Bird That Sings by Deborah Wiles
Moreover, even a consumer-goods manufacturer’s boldest creations can be mimicked by a retailer’s private label.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 16, 2026
“Lanterns,” which unfolds across two timelines, is the boldest entry so far in James Gunn’s remade DC Universe.
From Salon ● Aug. 14, 2026
He then turned to content, growing Comcast’s stable of networks and making one of his boldest moves: a hostile bid to buy Disney.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 2, 2026
“Over the past eight years, we built great things for the people of California — some of the boldest actions any government in this country has taken in a generation,” Newsom said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 30, 2026
‘You say that you are afraid. If it is so, the boldest should pardon you. But is it not really your good sense that revolts?’
From "The Fellowship of the Ring" by J.R.R. Tolkien
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
