bold

[ bohld ]

/ boʊld /

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See synonyms for: bold / bolder / boldly / boldness on Thesaurus.com

adjective, bold·er, bold·est.

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.

necessitating courage and daring; challenging: a bold adventure.

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.

steep; abrupt: a bold promontory.

Nautical. deep enough to be navigable close to the shore: bold waters.

Printing. typeset in boldface.

Obsolete. trusting; assured.

OTHER WORDS FOR bold

1 fearless, adventurous, brave, valiant, intrepid, valorous, dauntless.

See synonyms for bold on Thesaurus.com

OPPOSITES FOR bold

2 modest.

See antonyms for bold on Thesaurus.com

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Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Idioms about bold

be / make (so) bold, to presume or venture; dare: I made bold to offer my suggestion.

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”

synonym study for bold

2. 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 WORDS FROM bold

bold·ly, adverbbold·ness, nouno·ver·bold, adjectivesu·per·bold, adjective

un·bold, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH bold

bolder , boulder

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use bold in a sentence

For now, what progressives need more than anything else is to start work on a bolder vision for making America great again.
How Democrats Can Recover|Will Marshall|November 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Time for new leadership and bolder ideas that appeal to the rest of America.
How Democrats Can Recover|Will Marshall|November 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The result is bigger, bolder splashes of color and carefully thought-out works.
Adventures in Miami’s Coolest South Beach Alternative|The Daily Beast|July 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Safe within his mountaintop fortress, Escobar grew bolder and more unscrupulous.
Pablo Escobar’s Private Prison Is Now Run by Monks for Senior Citizens|Jeff Campagna|June 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST

With each successful strike, Boko Haram only grows bolder and its tentacles only grow longer.
Boko Loco: A View From Nigeria|Lola Ogunnaike|May 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I ne'er heard yet that any of these bolder vices wanted less impudence to gainsay what they did, than to perform it first.
Pearls of Thought|Maturin M. Ballou
Probably his retreat would be cut off by some similar device, so the bolder expedient of an advance offered the better chance.
The Red Year|Louis Tracy
Liszt, bolder than Heine, makes the attempt to portray them, and writes like an inspired poet.
Frederick Chopin as a Man and Musician|Frederick Niecks
And though his attempts to enter into closer communication grew bolder, he could not crack the barrier which kept them apart.
Star Born|Andre Norton
Finally the bottle came to an Indian who was somewhat bolder than the rest, or who feared to offend the white man.
The Story of the Thirteen Colonies|H. A. (Hlne Adeline) Guerber

British Dictionary definitions for bold

bold

/ (bəʊld) /

adjective

courageous, confident, and fearless; ready to take risks

showing or requiring couragea bold plan

immodest or impudentshe gave him a bold look

standing out distinctly; conspicuousa figure carved in bold relief

very steepthe bold face of the cliff

imaginative in thought or expressionthe novel's bold plot

printing set in bold face

noun

printing short for bold face

Derived forms of bold

boldly, adverbboldness, noun

Word Origin for bold

Old English beald; related to Old Norse ballr dangerous, terrible, baldinn defiant, Old High German bald bold

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 Idioms and Phrases with bold

bold

In addition to the idiom beginning with bold

bold as brass

also see:

big and bold
make bold

bold

OTHER WORDS FOR bold

OPPOSITES FOR bold

Idioms about bold

Origin of bold

synonym study for bold

OTHER WORDS FROM bold

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH bold

Words related to bold

How to use bold in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for bold

Derived forms of bold

Word Origin for bold

Other Idioms and Phrases with bold