audacity

English

Etymology

From late Middle English audacite, from Medieval Latin audacitas, from Latin audax (“bold”), from audeō (“I am bold, I dare”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) enPR: ô-dăʹsĭti, IPA^(key): /ɔːˈdæsɪti/
• (US) enPR: ô-dăʹsĭti, IPA^(key): /ɔˈdæsɪti/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Noun

audacity (countable and uncountable, plural audacities)

1. 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.”

2. Fearlessness, intrepidity or daring, especially with confident disregard for personal safety, conventional thought, or other restrictions.

Related terms

• audacious

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)

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

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.