bold
Americanadjective
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not hesitating or fearful in the face of actual or possible danger or rebuff; courageous and daring.
a bold hero.
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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
Related Words
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
- boldly adverb
- boldness noun
- overbold adjective
- superbold adjective
- unbold adjective
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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Beowulf vocabulary
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Language and Grammar - Middle School
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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.
We can be bold in a time when people are telling us to make do with less because Georgia ultimately has the resources, and we have the talent.
From Salon • Apr. 27, 2026
"I think what we need at the moment are some brave and bold politicians who are going to accept that we are in a crisis and we have to act," he added.
From BBC • Apr. 24, 2026
To link the original 13 colonies with territories to the west, American politicians and engineers made bold plans for a long-distance highway.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 24, 2026
The Las Vegas Raiders select Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza with the No. 1 pick and the Rams take quarterback Ty Simpson at No. 13 in a bold move.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 23, 2026
To inform the public, they circulated thousands of bold leaflets throughout Munich and other towns in southern Germany.
From "Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow" by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
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.
