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 of audacity

• gall
• nerve
• arrogance
• 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 of Asa’s manipulations can startle us to laughter, but the play comes closer to horror than to comedy, partly because Hassan’s own control is so total. —Dan Stahl, New Yorker, 28 Nov. 2025

The sequence of events is complex, but worth summarizing for its audacity. —Sean Patrick Cooper, Rolling Stone, 24 Nov. 2025

Needless to say, internet viewers are obsessed with Finn’s sheer audacity that was caught on camera. —Alyce Collins, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Nov. 2025

In a world that keeps telling women to sit down, she’s done the opposite, reminding us that greatness was never about staying whole, but about the audacity of choosing—again and again—to charge through the gate. —Sierra Shafer, Outside, 18 Nov. 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