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

• audaciousness
• brashness
• brass
• brassiness
• brazenness
• cheek
• cheekiness
• chutzpah
• chutzpa
• hutzpah
• hutzpa
• crust
• effrontery
• face
• gall
• nerve
• nerviness
• pertness
• presumption
• presumptuousness
• sauce
• sauciness
• 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 scene reveals every flicker of ambivalent emotion—audacity and determination mixed with caution and underlying fear. —Gerui Wang, Forbes, 2 Nov. 2024

Tracking firm Quorum gives props to Sony for having the audacity to release a movie just before the election. —Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 1 Nov. 2024

The recent news of former Supervisor Andrew Do’s guilty plea and resignation is extremely troubling, not only for the severity of the charges but the audacity of the behavior that was brought to light. —Tri Ta, Orange County Register, 24 Oct. 2024

My friend Leonid Shvets, a journalist based in Kyiv, was thrilled by the audacity of the Kursk offensive. —Keith Gessen, The New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2024

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

Kids Definition

audacity

noun

au·​dac·​i·​ty ȯ-ˈdas-ət-ē 

plural audacities

: the quality or fact of being audacious