as in gall
shameless boldness
I can't believe she had the audacity to tell me to shut up!
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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 audacity
The sheer audacity of the recent Louvre heist has whetted us readers’ appetites for heist stories—space heists, all the better!
—
Literary Hub, 2 Jan. 2026
Far more are coming in with a sense of audacity and agency.
—Harvard Business Review, 30 Dec. 2025
When Walker entered a conference room in 2019 and unveiled an ambitious, $1 billion plan to radically improve cancer care in Orange County to a few journalists – who tend to default toward skepticism – the audacity of her hope was infectious.
—Todd Harmonson, Oc Register, 23 Dec. 2025
Part of its audacity came from the fact that it was never even intended as a feature.
—Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 18 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for audacity
Literary Hub, 2 Jan. 2026
Far more are coming in with a sense of audacity and agency.
—Harvard Business Review, 30 Dec. 2025
When Walker entered a conference room in 2019 and unveiled an ambitious, $1 billion plan to radically improve cancer care in Orange County to a few journalists – who tend to default toward skepticism – the audacity of her hope was infectious.
—Todd Harmonson, Oc Register, 23 Dec. 2025
Part of its audacity came from the fact that it was never even intended as a feature.
—Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 18 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for audacity
Recent Examples of Synonyms for audacity
Noun
-
The documents that Dooley was now handling were barely yellowed, their edges lightly frayed, the oak gall ink ranging from brown to black.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Jan. 2026
-
The apparent copy of Hipparchus’ catalog was written using ink made from tannin-rich oak galls, the common, often-round growths on oak trees triggered by larval wasps.—
Ethan Baron,
Mercury News,
24 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The ride is just long enough to let the nerves set in.—
Danielle Parker,
CBS News,
27 Jan. 2026
-
This is one reason the drug expanded from being used primarily for seizures to becoming a mainstay for nerve pain related to such a wide variety of neuropathic conditions.—
Daryl Austin,
USA Today,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach take turns transforming into floating marketplaces — docks converted to catwalks, hulls polished to reflective arrogance, sales reps who can quote fuel burn like yacht owners care about costs.—
Eric Barton,
Sun Sentinel,
4 Jan. 2026
-
College football is awash in problems, including the Big Ten’s unrivaled arrogance, and its never-ending list of demands that would make Notre Dame blush.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
1 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
And Zelensky just hasn’t backed down, and Zelensky’s had the temerity to take him on, on a number of occasions, to push back.—
David Frum,
The Atlantic,
21 Jan. 2026
-
The first trial session for The Great Lakes Suite took place about a year and a half ago — which Hearn and Bidini say nobody had the temerity to record at the time.—
Gary Graff,
Billboard,
21 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Audacity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/audacity. Accessed 30 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
