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English
Etymology
From late Middle English audacite, from Medieval Latin audacitas, from Latin audax (“bold”), from audeō (“I am bold, I dare”).
Pronunciation
Noun
audacity (countable and uncountable, plural audacities)
- Insolent boldness, especially when imprudent or unconventional.
- Synonyms: audaciousness, chutzpah, outdaciousness, temerity
- The brash private had the audacity to criticize the general.
- Somebody never pays his loans, yet he has the audacity to ask the bank for money.
1960, P[elham] G[renville] Wodehouse, chapter XVIII, in Jeeves in the Offing, London: Herbert Jenkins, →OCLC:“Oh?” she said. “So you have decided to revise my guest list for me? You have the nerve, the – the –” I saw she needed helping out. “Audacity,” I said, throwing her the line. “The audacity to dictate to me who I shall have in my house.” It should have been “whom”, but I let it go. “You have the –” “Crust.” “– the immortal rind,” she amended, and I had to admit it was stronger, “to tell me whom” – she got it right that time – “I may entertain at Brinkley Court and who” – wrong again – “I may not.”
- Fearlessness, intrepidity or daring, especially with confident disregard for personal safety, conventional thought, or other restrictions.
Related terms
Translations
insolent boldness
- Arabic: جُرْأَة f (jurʔa), وَقَاحَة f (waqāḥa)
- Hijazi Arabic: جُرْأَة f (jurʔa), بَجَاحَة f (bajāḥa)
- Bulgarian: дързост (bg) (dǎrzost)
- Catalan: barra (ca) f, desvergonyiment m
- Chinese:
- Mandarin: 放肆 (zh) (fàngsì), 魯莽/鲁莽 (zh) (lǔmǎng)
- Czech: smělost (cs) f, troufalost (cs) f
- Dutch: brutaliteit (nl) f
- Esperanto: aŭdaco
- Finnish: julkeus (fi); otsa (fi)
- French: audace (fr) f, toupet (fr) m, culot (fr) m (familiar), impudence (fr) f
- Galician: descaro m, insolencia f
- Georgian: თავხედობა (ka) (tavxedoba)
- German: Dreistigkeit (de) f, Unverschämtheit (de) f, Unverfrorenheit (de) f, Frechheit (de) f. ironically or if viewed as positive: Chuzpe (de) f. dated: Kühnheit (de) f, Verwegenheit (de) f.
- Greek: θράσος (el) n (thrásos)
- Ancient: τόλμη f (tólmē)
- Hebrew: עזות מצח
- Hungarian: vakmerőség (hu)
- Icelandic: ofdirfska f, ósvífni f, ófyrirleitni f, bíræfni f
- Ido: audaco (io)
- Persian: جرأت (fa) (jor'at), پررویی (por-ruyi)
- Polish: śmiałość (pl) f
- Portuguese: audácia (pt)
- Russian: сме́лость (ru) f (smélostʹ), де́рзость (ru) f (dérzostʹ)
- Spanish: audacia (es) f, desfachatez (es)
- Swedish: fräckhet (sv) c
- Turkish: cesaret (tr), cesurluk (tr), cüret (tr), küstahlık (tr), korkusuzluk (tr)
- Welsh: digywilydd-dra m
- Yiddish: חוצפּה (khutspe)
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fearless daring
- Bulgarian: смелост (bg) f (smelost), безстрашие (bg) n (bezstrašie)
- Catalan: audàcia f, gosadia (ca) f
- Chinese:
- Mandarin: 大膽/大胆 (zh) (dàdǎn), 無畏/无畏 (zh) (wúwèi)
- Dutch: moed (nl) m
- Esperanto: aŭdaco
- Finnish: uhkarohkeus
- French: audace (fr) f, culot (fr) m (familiar)
- Galician: audacia (gl) f, afouteza f, atrevemento (gl) m, ousadía f
- German: Mut (de) m, Heldenmut (de) m, Chuzpe (de) f, Wagemut (de) m; Kühnheit (de) f; Draufgängertum (de) n, Verwegenheit (de) f
- Greek: τόλμη (el) f (tólmi)
- Hebrew: אומץ לב (he)
- Hungarian: rettenthetetlenség (hu), bátorság (hu), vakmerőség (hu)
- Icelandic: dirfska (is) f, fífldirfska (is) f
- Ido: audaco (io)
- Portuguese: audácia (pt) f
- Romanian: îndrăzneală (ro) f
- Russian: бесстра́шие (ru) n (besstrášije)
- Spanish: osadía (es) f, audacia (es) f
- Swedish: djärvhet (sv), dristighet (sv) c
- Turkish: atılganlık (tr), cesaret (tr), cürret, girişkenlik (tr)
- Welsh: beiddgarwch m
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Further reading
- “audacity”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
- “audacity”, in The Century Dictionary , New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
- “audacity”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.