bold

Meanings

1. 1
   adj

   fearless and daring

   bold settlers on some foreign shore

2. 2
   adj

   clear and distinct

   bold handwriting

3. 3
   adj

   Courageous, daring.

   Bold deeds win admiration and, sometimes, medals.

4. 4
   adj

   Visually striking; conspicuous.

   the painter's bold use of colour and outline

5. 5
   adj

   Having thicker strokes than the ordinary form of the typeface.

   Many bold fonts are available on this computer.

6. 6
   adj

   Presumptuous, forward or impudent.

   […] even the boldeſt and moſt affirmative Philoſophy, which has ever attempted to impoſe its crude Dictates and Principles on Mankind.

7. 7
   adj

   Naughty; insolent; badly-behaved.

   All of her children are terribly bold and never do as they are told.

8. 8
   adj

   Pornographic; depicting nudity.

   The government warned bus operators against continuing to show bold content on buses.

Etymology

From Middle English bold, bolde, bald, beald, from Old English bald, beald (“bold, brave, confident, strong, of good courage, presumptuous, impudent”), from Proto-West Germanic *balþ, from Proto-Germanic *balþaz (“strong, bold”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰel-, *bʰlē- (“to bloat, swell, bubble”). Cognate with Dutch boud (“bold, courageous, fearless”), Middle High German balt (“bold”) (whence German bald (“soon”)), Swedish båld (“bold, dauntless”). Perhaps related to Albanian ballë (“forehead”) and Old Prussian balo (“forehead”). Compare typologically Italian affrontare (“to face, to deal with…