audacious

adjective

au·​da·​cious ȯ-ˈdā-shəs How to pronounce audacious (audio)
1
a
: intrepidly daring : adventurous
an audacious mountain climber
b
: recklessly bold : rash
an audacious maneuver
2
: contemptuous of law, religion, or decorum : insolent
an audacious maverick
3
: marked by originality and verve
audacious experiments
audaciously adverb
audaciousness noun

Did you know?

Fortune favors the bold—or, as ancient Romans are known to have said, “audentes Fortuna iuvat.” Audentes here is the present participle of the Latin verb audēre, meaning “to dare,” a word that also led, via several etymological twists and turns through the centuries, to the English adjective audacious. When it first appeared in English in the mid-1500s, audacious meant “intrepidly daring,” a sense we still use today when we apply the word to various feats of derring-do and those who dare to do them. Since then it has developed several additional meanings, including the closely related “recklessly bold” and “marked by originality and verve,” as in “her audacious new album heralds the future of hip-hop.” Of course, with audacity (another audēre descendent) comes risk that fortune, despite the maxim, doesn’t always favor: as fungi foragers know, there are sagacious mushroomers, and audacious mushroomers, but there are no sagacious audacious mushroomers.

Examples of audacious in a Sentence

Whatever made him think his audacious fiction would sell—especially after a lifetime of literary marginalization—is a mystery, but he has certainly been vindicated. With a rush of work that he did not begin publishing until he was in his forties, he won literary fame in Europe and Latin America. Valerie Sayers, Commonweal, 13 July 2007
This is an audacious claim, and Kramer anticipates, even encourages, the controversy it might provoke. Gary Greenberg, Harper's, August 2005
… Morgan Pressel, the top-ranked female amateur in the country, has charted a less audacious course. A 17-year-old scrapper who gained prominence by tying for second at the U.S. Women's Open in June, Pressel is satisfied with taking on and whipping her own kind. E. M. Swift, Sports Illustrated, 8 Aug. 2005
… he owns and operates a seductively spacious jazz club. But that's his day job, his cover. He executes his audacious midnight burglaries outside of the city, working solo, mapping out every detail so that nothing can go wrong, then returning like a phantom. Owen Gliberman, Entertainment Weekly, 20 July 2001
They have audacious plans for the new school. This is her most audacious film so far. She made an audacious decision to quit her job.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Featuring a transformative performance by Spanish trans actress Karla Sofia Gascón, and revelatory turns by Zoë Saldaña and Selena Gomez, the all-singing, all-dancing extravagance is best experienced on the big screen, but Audiard’s audacious storytelling shines through on any platform. Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 28 Nov. 2024 The nods and lifts only grow more audacious after that; there are enough Easter eggs here for multiple farms. David Browne, Rolling Stone, 27 Nov. 2024 Martini finds joy in her current role with Psycho Bunny, a brand rooted in high-quality craftsmanship, bold design, and audacious style. Karin Eldor, Forbes, 26 Nov. 2024 There were tears, but from joy rather than Joan, whose biggest drama was the correct choice of her audacious Cult Gaia gown. Bryan Alexander, USA TODAY, 7 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for audacious 

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Middle French audacieux, from audace "daring, recklessness" (borrowed from Latin audācia, from audāc-, audāx "daring, bold, excessively daring, reckless" + -ia -ia entry 1) + -ieux -ious; audāx from audēre "to intend, dare, venture" (verbal derivative of avidus "ardent, eager, greedy") + -āc-, -āx, deverbal suffix denoting habitual or successful performance (probably going back to Indo-European *-eh2, noun ending + *-k-, suffixal formative) — more at avid

First Known Use

1550, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of audacious was in 1550

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Cite this Entry

“Audacious.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/audacious. Accessed 8 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

audacious

adjective
au·​da·​cious ȯ-ˈdā-shəs How to pronounce audacious (audio)
1
: very bold and daring : fearless
2
: showing a lack of proper respect
audaciously adverb
audaciousness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on audacious

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