audacious

adjective

ȯ-ˈdā-shəs How to pronounce audacious (audio)
Definition of audaciousnext
1
as in bold
displaying or marked by rude boldness with an audacious disregard for innocent bystanders, rival gang members opened fire

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in courageous
foolishly adventurous or bold an audacious effort to start her own business with no real plan or funding

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in adventurous
inclined or willing to take risks audacious adventurers risking everything they had for a shot at glory

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of audacious In her songs, stage banter and interviews, Parton always presented herself as a humble, yet audacious mountain dreamer made good. — Jewly Hight, NPR, 25 Aug. 2026 His audacious and brutal hostage-taking at OPEC headquarters ushered in a new form of terrorism. — Joby Warrick, Washington Post, 14 Aug. 2026 Tottenham Hotspur starting the transfer window as the Premier League’s most liberal and audacious spenders feels like a long time ago. — Elias Burke, New York Times, 13 Aug. 2026 But with a commercial-scale operation yet to be proved, Eden and a handful of other startups and research groups are chasing the more audacious scheme of producing geologic hydrogen artificially. — IEEE Spectrum, 11 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for audacious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for audacious
  1. bold
  2. courageous
  3. adventurous
  4. wise
  5. reckless
  6. daring
  7. brazen
  8. brave
Adjective
  • The American walks into a meeting room in Las Vegas’ New York-New York hotel, dressed in bold pink tracksuit bottoms, with the WBC welterweight title belt draped over his shoulder, talking as fast as his fists fly.
    — Chris McKenna, New York Times, 10 Sep. 2026
  • In the American context, after all, Oscar season is just about the last place for broad, sustained attention to challenging studio fare, bold independents, international features and documentaries.
    — Matt Brennan, Los Angeles Times, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of bold
Adjective
  • Fine publicly praised his wife following her testimony, describing her as strong and courageous in a statement read outside the courthouse by attorney Douglas Wigdor.
    — Sameen Chaudhry, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Why Jaissle and ‘vertical, attacking football’ If bringing in eight players under 24 was courageous, opting for a 38-year-old head coach who had never managed in Europe’s top-five leagues was extremely bold.
    — Chris Waugh, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of courageous
Adjective
  • The Moon enters adventurous Leo, stirring your interest in travel, education, or an idea that could expand your options.
    — Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 7 Sep. 2026
  • Until that point, Birmingham had looked dangerous, conquering the space vacated by City’s adventurous full-backs (in fact, Oceane Hurtre robbed a dithering Jade Rose on the edge of stoppage time for a consolation goal).
    — Katie Whyatt, New York Times, 7 Sep. 2026
Definition of adventurous
Adjective
  • Investing in infrastructure to boost revenue streams is wise, particularly at a club with no shareholders to act as benefactors.
    — Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
  • The Bulls overcame a sloppy night penalty-wise, being flagged 15 times for 140 yards, including two penalties that wiped out touchdowns.
    — Gary Curreri, Sun Sentinel, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of wise
Adjective
  • The engineer abruptly resigned after refusing to contribute to a reckless corporate competition that could ultimately lead to uncontrollable AI.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 9 Sep. 2026
  • None were remotely reckless, and none prevented a promising attack, which are the usual triggers for cautions.
    — Graham Scott, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of reckless
Adjective
  • After a few minutes, there was a dive off the arch, followed by a cannonball from the next person, a backflip from a third and then other more spectacular and daring stunts from the flock.
    — Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 8 Sep. 2026
  • Any caveats about the weather didn’t appear to keep families away from the carnival, as parents and kids advanced from midway games and the carousel to more daring rides like the Ferris wheel and the Ring of Fire.
    — Jim Dudlicek, Chicago Tribune, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of daring
Adjective
  • The brazen, seemingly random shooting shocked local law enforcement circles.
    — James Queally, Los Angeles Times, 2 Sep. 2026
  • Jerusalem — Israeli settlers stormed a Palestinian village in the occupied West Bank on Saturday and seized a home while its owner was inside in the latest brazen settler attack in the area.
    — Oren Liebermann, CNN Money, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of brazen
Adjective
  • New England Patriots guard Joe Andruzzi had three brothers, all New York City firefighters, who — like so many of their brave counterparts — rushed to the World Trade Center in an attempt to save lives after the towers were struck.
    — Michael Silver, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Combined with a brutal noon start time that provided no shade or relief throughout the game, the conditions meant there weren’t many fans brave enough, or quite frankly dumb enough, to endure a heat index of roughly 105 degrees.
    — Ian Miller OutKick, FOXNews.com, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of brave

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Cite this Entry

“Audacious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/audacious. Accessed 12 Sep. 2026.

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