bold en · ADJ · etymology 1
Pronunciation
- /baʉld/ (New-Zealand)
- [bɒʊ(ɫ)d] (New-Zealand)
- /bould/ (Wales) without the toe–tow merger
- /boʊld/ (Canada, General-American)
- [bouɫd] (Wales) without the toe–tow merger
- /ˈbəʊld/ (Received-Pronunciation)
- /ˈbɒld/ doll–dole merger
- [boɫd] (Scotland)
- /bold/ (Scotland)
- [ˈbɒʊɫd] (Received-Pronunciation)
- (US) audio
Etymology
From Middle English bold, bolde, bald, beald, from Old English bald, beald (“bold, brave, confident, strong, of good courage, presumptuous, impudent”), from Proto-West Germanic *balþ, from Proto-Germanic *balþaz (“strong, bold”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰel-, *bʰlē- (“to bloat, swell, bubble”). Cognate with Dutch boud (“bold, courageous, fearless”), Middle High German balt (“bold”) (whence German bald (“soon”)), Swedish båld (“bold, dauntless”). Perhaps related to Albanian ballë (“forehead”) and Old Prussian balo (“forehead”). Compare typologically Italian affrontare (“to face, to deal with”), sfrontato (“bold, daring, insolent”), both from Latin frons (“forehead”).
Meanings
-
Courageous, daring.
Bold deeds win admiration and, sometimes, medals.
Not unnaturally, “Auntie” took this communication in bad part. Thus outraged, she showed herself to be a bold as well as a furious virago. Next day she found her way to their lodgings and tried to recover her ward by the hair of the head.
1918, W[illiam] B[abington] Maxwell, chapter XXII, in The Mirror and the Lamp, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC:It would be extraordinarily bold of me to give it a try after seeing what has happened to you.
2005, Plato, translated by Lesley Brown, Sophist, page 239c:
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Visually striking; conspicuous.
the painter's bold use of colour and outline
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(of typefaces) Having thicker strokes than the ordinary form of the typeface.
In HTML, wrapping text in <b> and </b> tags produces bold text.
Many bold fonts are available on this computer.
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Presumptuous, forward or impudent.
[…] even the boldeſt and moſt affirmative Philoſophy, which has ever attempted to impoſe its crude Dictates and Principles on Mankind.
1748, [David Hume], “Essay I. On the different Species of Philosophy.”, in Philosophical Essays Concerning Human Understanding, London: […] A[ndrew] Millar, […], →OCLC, part I, page 18:
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(Ireland) Naughty; insolent; badly-behaved.
All of her children are terribly bold and never do as they are told.
- (of alcoholic beverages) Full-bodied.
-
(Philippines) Pornographic; depicting nudity.
The government warned bus operators against continuing to show bold content on buses.
-
Steep or abrupt.
The grounds descend with a bold slope to the water's edge, and rise finely upwards above the mansion, abounding with fine trees, and ornamented by a range of building at a distance, in a corresponding style […]
1808, William Bernard Cooke, A New Picture of the Isle of Wight, page 144:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| most bold | Degree=Sup | lexicographic | |
| boldest | Degree=Sup | lexicographic | |
| bolder | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic | |
| more bold | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic |
Antonyms
risk-averse · conservative · reluctant
Deriveds
ultrabold · overbold · fortune favours the bold · boldfaced · bold star · extrabold · if I may be so bold · bold move, Cotton · bold as brass · bold film · bold-hearted · nonbold · bold movie · blackboard bold · semibold · boldface · bold-faced · fortune favors the bold · unbold · boldacious · superbold · boldly · boldship · make bold · demibold · boldish · boldhead
Relateds
boldness · embolden · bield · bolden
Synonyms
daring (courageous) · brave (courageous) · audacious (courageous) · forward (courageous) · doughty (courageous) · courageous (courageous)
Translations (166)
hy քաջ (courageous, daring) · gd trom (having thicker strokes than the ordinary form of the typeface) · vi can đảm (courageous, daring) · so geesi (courageous, daring) · fi lihava (having thicker strokes than the ordinary form of the typeface) · ga forránach (courageous, daring) · bg че́рен (having thicker strokes than the ordinary form of the typeface) · pt audacioso (courageous, daring) · yi דרייסט (courageous, daring) · ru хра́брый (courageous, daring) · bg смел (courageous, daring) · fa جسورانه (courageous, daring) · non snarr (courageous, daring) · ro aldin (having thicker strokes than the ordinary form of the typeface) · fi arastelematon (courageous, daring) · es egipcia (having thicker strokes than the ordinary form of the typeface) · ro temerar (courageous, daring) · ca gras (having thicker strokes than the ordinary form of the typeface) · fr effronté (courageous, daring) · et paks (having thicker strokes than the ordinary form of the typeface) · ru отва́жный (courageous, daring) · pl wytłuszczony (having thicker strokes than the ordinary form of the typeface) · gd dàna (courageous, daring) · as সাহসী (courageous, daring) · sv fetstilt (having thicker strokes than the ordinary form of the typeface) · pt bravo (courageous, daring) · bn সাহসী (courageous, daring) · it baldo (courageous, daring) · fi arkailematon (courageous, daring) · fr gras (having thicker strokes than the ordinary form of the typeface) · fi suorasukainen (courageous, daring) · izh paksu (having thicker strokes than the ordinary form of the typeface) · sh hrabar (courageous, daring) · bg хра́бър (courageous, daring) · da tapper (courageous, daring) · fr hardi (courageous, daring) · fi voimakas (courageous, daring) · no modig (courageous, daring) · hu merész (courageous, daring) · tr kalın (having thicker strokes than the ordinary form of the typeface) · de fett (having thicker strokes than the ordinary form of the typeface) · ba баҙнатсыл (courageous, daring) · mi miramira (having thicker strokes than the ordinary form of the typeface) · ru реши́тельный (courageous, daring) · nl moedig (courageous, daring) · eo aŭdaca (courageous, daring) · ota جسور (courageous, daring) · la audax (courageous, daring) · fi urhoollinen (courageous, daring) · ja ボールド (having thicker strokes than the ordinary form of the typeface) · ar جَرِيء (courageous, daring) · mk заде́белен (having thicker strokes than the ordinary form of the typeface) · cs odvážný (courageous, daring) · it grassetto (having thicker strokes than the ordinary form of the typeface) · cs smělý (courageous, daring) · cs polotučný (having thicker strokes than the ordinary form of the typeface) · sk smelý (courageous, daring) · chr ᏍᎦᏎᏅ (courageous, daring) · et julge (courageous, daring) · ca agosarat (courageous, daring) · io brava (courageous, daring) · hu bátor (courageous, daring) · ja 大胆な (courageous, daring) · bg получе́рен (having thicker strokes than the ordinary form of the typeface) · ro gras (having thicker strokes than the ordinary form of the typeface) · ca negreta (having thicker strokes than the ordinary form of the typeface) · fi röyhkeä (courageous, daring) · nl vetgedrukt (having thicker strokes than the ordinary form of the typeface) · io grasa (having thicker strokes than the ordinary form of the typeface) · grc θαρσαλέος (courageous, daring) · io proda (courageous, daring) · ru жи́рный (having thicker strokes than the ordinary form of the typeface) · hy թավ (having thicker strokes than the ordinary form of the typeface) · grc τολμήεις (courageous, daring) · ang beald (courageous, daring) · io kuraja (courageous, daring) · it sfrontato (courageous, daring) · io kurajoza (courageous, daring) · pl pogrubiony (having thicker strokes than the ordinary form of the typeface) · de wagemutig (courageous, daring) · cmn 勇敢 (courageous, daring) · grc τολμηρός (courageous, daring) · nl vet (having thicker strokes than the ordinary form of the typeface) · he אמיצה (courageous, daring) · sv djärv (courageous, daring) · de tapfer (courageous, daring) · sv modig (courageous, daring) · cmn 粗體的 /粗体的 (having thicker strokes than the ordinary form of the typeface) · et vapper (courageous, daring) · sh podebljan (having thicker strokes than the ordinary form of the typeface) · hu félkövér (having thicker strokes than the ordinary form of the typeface) · fi selväpiirteinen (courageous, daring) · cs zvýrazněný (having thicker strokes than the ordinary form of the typeface) · ba ҡыйыу (courageous, daring) · mi taekaha (having thicker strokes than the ordinary form of the typeface) · el τολμηρός (courageous, daring) · ja ボールド体の (having thicker strokes than the ordinary form of the typeface) · es negrilla (having thicker strokes than the ordinary form of the typeface) · ka გამბედავი (courageous, daring) · de kühn (courageous, daring) · ga dána (courageous, daring) · sk opovážlivý (courageous, daring) · fi uskalias (courageous, daring) · ja 太字の (having thicker strokes than the ordinary form of the typeface) · hy խիզախ (courageous, daring) · sk trúfalý (courageous, daring) · la audens (courageous, daring) · es denodado (courageous, daring) · it coraggioso (courageous, daring) · tr cesur (courageous, daring) · cmn 膽大 /胆大 (courageous, daring) · mn зоримог (courageous, daring) · el θαρραλέος (courageous, daring) · pdt driest (courageous, daring) · fi rohkea (courageous, daring) · fi lihavoitu (having thicker strokes than the ordinary form of the typeface) · da fed (having thicker strokes than the ordinary form of the typeface) · nb fet (having thicker strokes than the ordinary form of the typeface) · fa جسور (courageous, daring) · fi karski (courageous, daring) · gl afouto (courageous, daring) · hy հանդուգն (courageous, daring) · it audace (courageous, daring) · pl śmiały (courageous, daring) · am ደፋር (courageous, daring) · sh одважан (courageous, daring) · ka გაბედული (courageous, daring) · sv fet (having thicker strokes than the ordinary form of the typeface) · sk odvážny (courageous, daring) · vi gan dạ (courageous, daring) · ru сме́лый (courageous, daring) · pt corajoso (courageous, daring) · pl tłusty (having thicker strokes than the ordinary form of the typeface) · hi निडर (courageous, daring) · ar جَسُور (courageous, daring) · es negrita (having thicker strokes than the ordinary form of the typeface) · io kurajema (courageous, daring) · arz جسور (courageous, daring) · cs tučný (having thicker strokes than the ordinary form of the typeface) · mi taikaha (having thicker strokes than the ordinary form of the typeface) · ja 勇敢な (courageous, daring) · yi מוטיק (courageous, daring) · sco bauld (courageous, daring) · cs troufalý (courageous, daring) · ba ҡалын (having thicker strokes than the ordinary form of the typeface) · sv fetstil (having thicker strokes than the ordinary form of the typeface) · de mutig (courageous, daring) · vi dũng cảm (courageous, daring) · sh odvažan (courageous, daring) · gl atufado (courageous, daring) · et vahva (courageous, daring) · mk смел (courageous, daring) · he אמיץ (courageous, daring) · ru полужи́рный (having thicker strokes than the ordinary form of the typeface) · hi साहसी (courageous, daring) · it ardito (courageous, daring) · pt negrito (having thicker strokes than the ordinary form of the typeface) · pl odważny (courageous, daring) · fa پررنگ (having thicker strokes than the ordinary form of the typeface) · da modig (courageous, daring) · mk хра́бар (courageous, daring) · fa ضخیم (having thicker strokes than the ordinary form of the typeface) · sh храбар (courageous, daring) · gl arriscado (courageous, daring) · eo grasa (having thicker strokes than the ordinary form of the typeface) · ka გულადი (courageous, daring)