Audacity
/ɔːˈdæsɪti/
nounIntermediate📊CommonAction
1 meaning1 question
Definitions
1
The willingness to take bold risks.
/ɔːˈdæsɪti/
nounneutralIntermediate
Action
Boldness or daring, especially with a disregard for convention or propriety.
Her audacity in questioning the boss's decision was surprising.
💡 Simply: Being brave and daring, sometimes even rude.
More Examples
2
The thief's audacity in robbing the bank in broad daylight was shocking.
How It's Used
Literary
"He showed remarkable audacity in challenging the established order."
Political
"The politician's audacity in making such a bold statement surprised everyone."
From Middle French audacite, from Latin audacitas, from audax "bold, daring".
The word has maintained a similar meaning throughout history, consistently emphasizing boldness and sometimes a disregard for rules.
Memory tip
Think of 'audacious' (bold) + 'ity' (state of being).
Word Origin
LanguageLatin
Original meaning
"boldness, daring"
Base: audacious
remarkable audacitysheer audacityan act of audacity
Common misspellings
audasityaudacityyaudaceity
Practice
Usage
20%Spoken
80%Written