audacious

C2+ Topic:Describing Qualities

Also spelled owdacious

US /ɔˈdeɪʃəs/ UK /ɔːˈdeɪʃəs/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

adj
showing bold or daring willingness to take risks

Their audacious plan to cross the desert on foot succeeded.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · showing bold or daring... bold daring brazen fearless intrepid reckless brave impudent

Opposites

timid cautious cowardly meek shy prudent

Word family

Forms audaciously

Derived forms audaciouslyaudaciousness

Related forms audacity

Simplified etymology

Audacious comes from Latin audax, meaning “bold,” the root also found in audacity. It originally meant “bold, confident, or daring” more directly, and later developed senses involving surprising risk-taking or impudence.

Etymology

From Latin audax ('bold, daring'), from audere ('to dare'), via Middle French audacieux. Audere derives from avidus ('eager').

audax Latin audere Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# audacious

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** /ɔˈdeɪʃəs/
**IPA (UK):** /ɔːˈdeɪʃəs/

## Meanings
1. showing bold or daring willingness to take risks

## Examples
- Their audacious plan to cross the desert on foot succeeded.

## Synonyms
- bold
- daring
- brazen
- fearless
- intrepid
- reckless
- brave
- impudent

## Antonyms
- timid
- cautious
- cowardly
- meek
- shy
- prudent

## Derived Forms
- audaciously
- audaciousness

## Related Forms
- audacity

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: audax
- Root: audere

## Etymology
From Latin audax ('bold, daring'), from audere ('to dare'), via Middle French audacieux. Audere derives from avidus ('eager').

## AI Etymology
Audacious is from Latin audax ('bold, daring'), from audere ('to dare'), via Middle French audacieux. Audere derives from avidus ('eager'). Important recorded forms include audax (Latin) and audere (Latin). The current sense covers showing bold or daring willingness to take risks. The wider family includes derived forms such as audaciously and audaciousness and related words such as audacity.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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