The audacity meaning has two faces: it is either bold daring that takes big risks, or shocking nerve that ignores manners and respect. A climber who attempts an unclimbed peak shows audacity; so does a neighbor who parks in your driveway and then asks you to move your car.
So any honest audacity definition needs both faces, and which one you mean depends on tone and context. In stories about explorers, inventors and athletes, audacity is often praise. In everyday chat, and especially in the phrase the audacity, it is almost always a complaint about someone's cheek.
Entry at a glance
Meaning
Bold daring; or rude, shameless boldnessPart of speech
Noun (uncountable; rarely audacities)Pronunciation
aw-DAS-ih-teeWord forms
audacious (adjective), audaciously (adverb)Origin
Medieval Latin audacitas, from Latin audax, boldOpposite
timidity, caution, meekness, humilityClose words
boldness, nerve, cheek, gall, daringRegister
Neutral; slangy in the phrase the audacity
Audacity meaning, both sides
- Admirable daring. A willingness to take bold risks or try something others think impossible. The audacity of the rescue plan saved all twelve miners.
- Disrespectful nerve. Rude or shameless boldness, acting as if normal rules do not apply to you. He had the audacity to bill us for his own mistake.
English has carried both senses for centuries. The positive one usually appears with big goals, plans and achievements. The negative one usually appears with have the audacity to followed by something offensive or unfair.
Examples of audacity in sentences
- It took real audacity for a first-year student to challenge the professor's data, and she turned out to be right.
- My cousin borrowed my jacket, lost it, and had the audacity to ask for another.
- The startup's audacious goal was to deliver groceries in ten minutes.
- Fans still talk about the audacity of that last-second shot from half court.
- The audacity of the scam surprised even the police: the thieves posed as the bank's own inspectors.
The phrase the audacity
In casual speech and online, people react to bad behavior with just two words: the audacity. It is short for the audacity of that person, meaning how dare they.
The phrase is informal and playful, best kept for chat and messages rather than formal writing. A longer version is the sheer audacity, which adds extra disbelief.
How to use audacity and audacious
Audacity is an uncountable noun. The main patterns are have the audacity to do something, the audacity of something, and sheer or breathtaking audacity.
The adjective audacious leans more positive than the noun, especially with plans and ideas: an audacious goal, an audacious design. It can still be negative: an audacious lie. The adverb is audaciously. Pronounce the adjective aw-DAY-shuhs; the vowel changes from the noun.
Word origin
English writers of the early 1400s used audacity for boldness or courage. It comes from Medieval Latin audacitas, built on Latin audax, bold or daring, from audere, to dare. Interestingly, the Latin audax was often negative, closer to rash or foolhardy. In English, the sense of presumptuous, rule-breaking nerve shows up by the 1530s. That means the word has carried both its admiring and its scolding sense for about five hundred years.
Audacity compared with close words
| Word | Tone | Best use |
|---|---|---|
| Audacity | Positive or negative | Bold risk, or shocking rudeness |
| Courage | Positive | Facing fear or danger |
| Nerve | Mostly negative in this sense | He had the nerve to complain |
| Gall | Negative | Bitter, brazen rudeness |
| Cheek | Mildly negative, British | Playful disrespect |
| Hubris | Negative | Pride that leads to a fall |
Audacity can slide into arrogance when the bold person assumes they cannot fail. The admired kind sits closer to tenacity and courage. Our people and feelings hub lists many other temperament words.
Frequently asked questions
What does audacity mean in simple words?
Audacity means boldness. It can be the brave kind that takes big risks, or the rude kind that ignores what is fair or polite.
Is audacity a compliment or an insult?
Both are possible. Daring plans and brave acts show positive audacity. Having the audacity to do something usually describes rude or shameless behavior.
What does having the audacity mean?
Saying someone had the audacity to do something means they did something bold and inappropriate without any shame. It expresses surprise and annoyance.
How do you pronounce audacity?
It is aw-DAS-ih-tee, four syllables. The second one, DAS, rhymes with gas.
How would you define audacity in one line?
Audacity is a willingness to take bold risks, or rude and disrespectful boldness.
What is the opposite of audacity?
Timidity and caution are the main opposites of the daring sense. For the rude sense, humility, modesty or respect work as opposites.