Word of the Day

: May 16, 2020

bodacious

adjective boh-DAY-shuss

What It Means

1 Southern & Midland : outright, unmistakable

2 : remarkable, noteworthy

3 : sexy, voluptuous

bodacious in Context

"House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy has made a bodacious name for himself on several fronts. The California lawmaker has now set an all-time annual fundraising record for any Republican…." — Jennifer Harper, The Washington Times, 29 Jan. 2020

"The other period elements, as always, remain intact: jousting on horseback, outrageous cockney accents from bearded storytellers strumming lyres, and many bodacious, curvy bodices." — Phillip Valys, The South Florida Sun-Sentinel, 10 Feb. 2020

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."