bold

UK: /ˈbəʊld/ US: /boʊld/ ,(bōld)

Inflections of 'bold' (adj):

bolder

adj comparative

boldest

adj superlative

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

bold /boʊld/   adj., -er, -est. 

1. unafraid in the face of danger;
   courageous:
   bold and daring pilots.
2. ignoring good manners by not showing respect;
   impudent:
   a bold child who always talks back to her parents.
3. finding new solutions;
   inventive or imaginative:
   a bold solution to a perplexing problem.
4. very bright or very dark;
   striking to the eye;
   flashy;
   showy:
   a shirt with a bold pattern.

bold•ly, adv.: 

They boldly went where no one had gone before.

bold•ness, n. 

[uncountable] [Enough of your boldness* go to your room!]

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

bold  (bōld), adj., -er, -est. 

1. not hesitating or fearful in the face of actual or possible danger or rebuff;
   courageous and daring:
   a bold hero.
2. not hesitating to break the rules of propriety;
   forward;
   impudent:
   He apologized for being so bold as to speak to the emperor.
3. necessitating courage and daring;
   challenging:
   a bold adventure.
4. beyond the usual limits of conventional thought or action;
   imaginative:
   Einstein was a bold mathematician. a difficult problem needing a bold answer.
5. striking or conspicuous to the eye;
   flashy;
   showy:
   a bold pattern.
6. steep;
   abrupt:
   a bold promontory.
7. Nautical, Naval Terms deep enough to be navigable close to the shore:
   bold waters.
8. Printing typeset in boldface.
9. [Obs.] trusting;
   assured.
10. Idioms make bold, to presume or venture;
    dare:
    I made bold to offer my suggestion.

• *bal-ko-
• Gmc *bál-tha-z; akin to Welsh balch proud, Irish balc strong
• bef. 1000; Middle English bald, bold, Old English b(e)ald; cognate with Old Saxon, Old High German bald, Dutch boud bold, Old Norse ballr dire

bold′ly, adv. 
bold′ness, n. 
Synonyms

• 1. fearless, adventurous, brave, valiant, intrepid, valorous, dauntless.
• 2. Bold, brazen, forward, presumptuous may refer to manners in a derogatory way.
  Bold suggests impudence, shamelessness, and immodesty:
  a bold stare.
  Brazen suggests the same, together with a defiant manner:
  a brazen liar.
  Forward implies making oneself unduly prominent or bringing oneself to notice with too much assurance.
  Presumptuous implies overconfidence, effrontery, taking too much for granted.

Antonyms

• 2. modest.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

bold / bəʊld/ adjective

1. courageous, confident, and fearless; ready to take risks
2. showing or requiring courage: a bold plan
3. immodest or impudent: she gave him a bold look
4. standing out distinctly; conspicuous: a figure carved in bold relief
5. very steep: the bold face of the cliff
6. imaginative in thought or expression

noun

1. short for bold face

verb

to render (text) in bold face

Etymology: Old English beald; related to Old Norse ballr dangerous, terrible, baldinn defiant, Old High German bald bold

ˈboldly adverb

ˈboldness noun