audacity

noun

au·​dac·​i·​ty ȯ-ˈda-sə-tē 

plural audacities

1

: the quality or state of being audacious: such as

a

: intrepid boldness

knights admired for their audacity

b

: bold or arrogant disregard of normal restraints

had the audacity to defy his boss

2

: an audacious act

—usually used in plural

Her worst audacities did not seem to surprise him.

—Edith Wharton

Synonyms

• audaciousness
• brashness
• brass
• brassiness
• brazenness
• cheek
• cheekiness
• chutzpah
• chutzpa
• hutzpah
• hutzpa
• crust
• effrontery
• face
• gall
• nerve
• nerviness
• pertness
• presumption
• presumptuousness
• sauce
• sauciness
• temerity

Choose the Right Synonym for audacity

temerity, audacity, hardihood, effrontery, nerve, cheek, gall, chutzpah mean conspicuous or flagrant boldness.

temerity suggests boldness arising from rashness and contempt of danger.

had the temerity to refuse

audacity implies a disregard of restraints commonly imposed by convention or prudence.

an entrepreneur with audacity and vision

hardihood suggests firmness in daring and defiance.

admired for her hardihood

effrontery implies shameless, insolent disregard of propriety or courtesy.

outraged at his effrontery

nerve, cheek, gall, and chutzpah are informal equivalents for effrontery.

the nerve of that guy

has the cheek to call herself a singer

had the gall to demand proof

the chutzpah needed for a career in show business

Examples of audacity in a Sentence

I could not believe their audacity.

He had the audacity to suggest that it was all my fault.

Recent Examples on the Web

The audacity to kill off a major star early in the film? —Neal Justin, Boston Herald, 13 June 2025

Even lawmakers who’ve been around Springfield a long time were taken aback at the audacity of Senate President Don Harmon slipping a provision into a broader elections reform bill that would have gotten his campaign off the hook for a potential penalty well into the millions. —The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 11 June 2025

And there's history of the market going from existential panic to exhilarating audacity in a blink, such as when the 1998 near-bear market on hedge-fund blowups reversed to give way to the gluttonous risk binge of 1999. —Michael Santoli, CNBC, 9 June 2025

But the audacity of stopping the movie — for nine minutes — to have that scene! —Mike Fleming Jr, Deadline, 20 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English audacite, borrowed from Medieval Latin audācitāt-, audācitās, from Latin audāc-, audāx "daring, bold, excessively daring, reckless" + -itāt-, -itās -ity — more at audacious

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for audacity

• capacity
• loquacity
• mendacity
• opacity
• pugnacity
• rapacity
• sagacity
• tenacity
• veracity
• vivacity
• voracity
• incapacity

Kids Definition

audacity

noun

au·​dac·​i·​ty ȯ-ˈdas-ət-ē 

plural audacities

: the quality or fact of being audacious