bodacious

adjective

bo·da·cious bō-ˈdā-shəs

Synonyms of bodacious next

Southern US and Midland US : outright, unmistakable

: remarkable, noteworthy

a bodacious bargain

: sexy, voluptuous

bodacious babes

bodaciously adverb

Did you know?

Some of our readers may know bodacious as a word that figured prominently in the lingo of the 1989 film Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure. Others may recall the term's frequent use in the long-running "Snuffy Smith" comic strip. Neither the creators of the comic strip nor the movie can claim to have coined bodacious, which began appearing in print during the 1800s, but both likely contributed to its popularity. The exact origin of the word is uncertain, but it was most likely influenced by bold and audacious, and it may be linked to boldacious, a term from British dialect meaning "brazen" or "impudent."

Examples of bodacious in a Sentence

a singer with a bodacious voice the bodacious decor of the boutique hotel is intended to appeal to the young and the hip

Recent Examples on the Web According to the National Park Service (NPS), 128 Grazer is a bodacious adult female bear with blonde ears and a straight muzzle. —

Lizzy Rosenberg, Peoplemag, 11 Oct. 2023 In all of her acting roles to date, Megan has essentially played a version of her stage persona, an ultra-confident, bodacious, and unapologetically feminine force of nature. —

TIME, 13 Oct. 2023 Giambattista Valli, the Italian designer known for creating oversize silhouettes while wowing audiences with his bodacious gowns, took a more low-key design approach for his Spring Summer 2024 collection unveiling on Sept. 29. —

Allyson Portee, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Oct. 2023 Britain did have a top-of-the-charts 2021, but a report to Parliament this month said that is partly because its economy experienced the worst decline among the G-7 during the pandemic — and so the rebound looks bigger, bouncier, more bodacious in comparison. —

William Booth, Washington Post, 15 Aug. 2022 Serving body, beauty, and bodacious all-around talent, Sasha is fierce. —

Vulture, 19 Dec. 2022 For a long time, it's been assumed that as our brains got bigger and more bodacious, our teeth shrank proportionately. —

Gemma Tarlach, Discover Magazine, 2 Jan. 2017 Following in the footsteps of Emily Ratajkowski last week, who sported bodacious disco curls at a fragrance event, Katie Holmes just stepped out in New York with her own take on the look. —

Hannah Coates, Vogue, 17 Feb. 2023 Directed by Travis Scott, the video finds Future arriving on the scene inside a luxe Maybach with a bodacious model alongside him. —

Carl Lamarre, Billboard, 29 Nov. 2022 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bodacious.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.