Standard Lemma guide

boldness

noun · 6 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • General-American: /ˈboʊldnəs/
  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈbəʊldnəs/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: B OW1 L D N AH0 S Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

The state of being bold; courage.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable, usually

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

presumptuousness

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable, usually

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: face

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

The relative weight of a font; the thickness of its strokes.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable, usually

Topics: media, publishing, typography

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

the quality of standing out strongly and distinctly

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: strikingness

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: conspicuousness

5

noun

Meaning 5

impudent aggressiveness

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • I couldn't believe her boldness
  • he had the effrontery to question my honesty

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: nerve, brass, face, cheek

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: aggressiveness

Narrower terms: audacity, audaciousness

6

noun

Meaning 6

the trait of being willing to undertake things that involve risk or danger

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the proposal required great boldness
  • the plan required great hardiness of heart

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: daring, hardiness, hardihood

Antonyms: timidity

Broader terms: fearlessness

Narrower terms: adventurousness, venturesomeness, daredevilry, daredeviltry, audacity, audaciousness, temerity, shamelessness, brazenness

History

Etymology

From Middle English boldnesse, equivalent to bold + -ness. Cognate with Scots baldness, bauldness (“boldness”).

Across languages

Translations

16 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: смелост (smelost) — courage
  • Bulgarian: храброст (hrabrost) — courage
  • Esperanto: maltimo — courage
  • French: audace — courage
  • Gothic: 𐌱𐌰𐌻𐌸𐌴𐌹 (balþei) — courage
  • Greek: κουράγιο (kourágio) — courage
  • Hungarian: merészség — courage
  • Latin: audentia — courage
  • Latin: audācia — courage
  • Portuguese: valentia — courage
  • Russian: смелость (smelostʹ) — courage
  • Scottish Gaelic: tapachd — courage
  • Spanish: osadía — courage
  • Spanish: demasía — courage
  • Ottoman Turkish: جسورلق (cesurluk) — courage
  • Hungarian: vonalvastagság — relative weight of a font