Audacious

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ɔːˈdeɪʃəs/

Definitions

1. Displaying fearless and unconventional boldness combined with willingness to challenge norms or risk consequences
2. Marked by daring defiance of convention and confident readiness to undertake risky or difficult ventures
3. Showing fearless boldness and daring willingness to defy convention or take significant risks in pursuit of ambitious goals
4. Marked by courageous defiance of norms combined with confident readiness to face danger or challenge established boundaries

Etymology: Before it described bold people, "audacious" was a plain statement about nerve: the Latin "audax" meant "bold" and came from "audeō," "to be bold, to dare." From these roots Latin built "audacia," "boldness," and the English word is a formation on that noun, with the Latin-derived ending "-ious" attached to it. The result is a word that sounds like an ordinary adjective of character but is really a compact summary of daring, traceable straight back to a single Latin verb. The English word is therefore a fairly transparent chain: verb, adjective, noun, then English adjective. Its core meaning has barely shifted since Latin, which is unusual for a word that has passed through so many languages. It has kept the sense of courage that its ancestors gave it.

Synonyms: bold, daring, fearless, intrepid, venturesome

Antonyms: timid, cowardly, meek, submissive, cautious