audacity

noun

ȯ-ˈda-sə-tē How to pronounce audacity (audio)
Definition of audacitynext
as in gall
shameless boldness I can't believe she had the audacity to tell me to shut up!

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How is the word audacity different from other nouns like it?

Some common synonyms of audacity are cheek, chutzpah, effrontery, gall, hardihood, nerve, and temerity. While all these words mean "conspicuous or flagrant boldness," audacity implies a disregard of restraints commonly imposed by convention or prudence.

an entrepreneur with audacity and vision

When can effrontery be used instead of audacity?

The synonyms effrontery and audacity are sometimes interchangeable, but effrontery implies shameless, insolent disregard of propriety or courtesy.

outraged at his effrontery

When might hardihood be a better fit than audacity?

The words hardihood and audacity are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, hardihood suggests firmness in daring and defiance.

admired for her hardihood

How is nerve related to other words for audacity?

Nerve, cheek, gall, and chutzpah are informal equivalents for effrontery.

the nerve of that guy
has the cheek to call herself a singer
had the gall to demand proof
the chutzpah needed for a career in show business

When is temerity a more appropriate choice than audacity?

While the synonyms temerity and audacity are close in meaning, temerity suggests boldness arising from rashness and contempt of danger.

had the temerity to refuse

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of audacity Give Cars 2 points for audacity: The follow-up shifts away from the original’s small-town, homespun charm to become a sleek, globetrotting action-thriller focusing on Lightning McQueen’s country-bumpkin sidekick. —Will Leitch, Vulture, 19 June 2025 Whereas the recent attacks from Iran and Ukraine respectively bet on mass and audacity, OFFSET and Colosseum have sought to give swarms the advantage of adaptive autonomy. —Deni Ellis Béchard, Scientific American, 16 June 2025 But none of the looks for the series regulars approaches Kathryn Hahn’s for over-the-top audacity. —Mikey O'Connell, HollywoodReporter, 21 May 2025 The shock, the horror, the unbelievable audacity of it. —Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 1 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for audacity
Recent Examples of Synonyms for audacity
  1. gall
  2. nerve
  3. arrogance
  4. temerity
Noun
  • People were essentially imprisoned in their homes, yet Newsom had the gall to dine mask-free at French Laundry with lobbyists.
    — Houman Hemmati, Oc Register, 20 July 2025
  • And for all this some institutions have the gall to charge undergraduates upwards of $100,000 a year!
    — Adrian Wooldridge, Twin Cities, 6 May 2025
Definition of gall
Noun
  • King has been out since mid-May with a nerve impingement near his right shoulder and is essentially in build-up mode.
    — Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 July 2025
  • The researchers employed a range of advanced laboratory techniques to investigate nerve regeneration.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 13 July 2025
Definition of nerve
Noun
  • Putin’s arrogance in wanting total Ukrainian surrender could prove his downfall, if only Trump sticks to his position.
    — Daniel Fried, Time, 15 July 2025
  • The arrogance wasn’t hers alone; many people have tried to assign the Tully monster a place in the tree of life since it was first discovered 70 years ago.
    — Cody Cottier, Discover Magazine, 8 July 2025
Definition of arrogance
Noun
  • Temu is a low-cost online marketplace that has had the temerity to achieve popularity with American buyers while also being Chinese.
    — John Tamny, Forbes.com, 13 June 2025
  • The murmurs in the ballpark were that Dave Roberts wouldn’t have the temerity to not send Kershaw back out for the sixth inning.
    — Dan Freedman, Forbes.com, 3 July 2025
Definition of temerity

Browse Nearby Words

audaciousness
audacity
audial
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Audacity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/audacity. Accessed 30 Jul. 2025.

Copy Citation

Share

More from Merriam-Webster on audacity

Nglish: Translation of audacity for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Using Bullet Points ( • )

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Our Best Historical Slang Terms

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Better Ways to Say 'This Sucks'

8 Words with Fascinating Histories
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Our Best Historical Slang Terms

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
anagrams on a chalk board
Word Builder Quiz Pick the letter that when added to a word will ma...
See All