audacity means insolent boldness, especially when imprudent or unconventional. It carries an Arena rating of 1853, earned across 14 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, audacity ranks #49 of 42,747 for Qualifying, #325 of 17,134 for Most Malleable Words, #697 of 17,127 for Words That Escaped Their Books, #2,008 of 17,126 for Most Satisfying to Say.
audacity is pronounced /ɔːˈdæ.sɪ.ti/.
Why “audacity” is a great word
Insolent boldness or fearless daring, especially when disregarding conventional thought or personal safety. From Middle English *audacite*, from Medieval Latin *audacitas* ('boldness'), from Latin *audax* ('bold'), from *audere* ('to dare'). Unlike temerity, which is rash and foolish, or courage, which is principled and noble, audacity is boldness alloyed with insolence—a confident trespass. It is the uninvited guest who takes the host's chair, the painter who slashes a canvas with vermilion where brown would suffice, the sheer gall required to paint a moustache on a public monument. Audacity does not ask permission because it has already decided the answer would be no.
Etymology
From Middle English audacite, from Medieval Latin audācitās (whence -acity), from Latin audāx (“bold”), from audeō (“to be bold, to dare”).
noun
- Insolent boldness, especially when imprudent or unconventional.e.g.“The brash private had the audacity to criticize the general.”
- Fearlessness, intrepidity or daring, especially with confident disregard for personal safety, conventional thought, or other restrictions.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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