bold
UK /ˈbəʊld/ · US /boʊld/ adjective, verb, noun, proper noun
Forms bolder boldest bolds bolding bolded bolde boolde
- adjective Courageous, daring. “Bold deeds win admiration and, sometimes, medals.”
- adjective Visually striking; conspicuous. “the painter's bold use of colour and outline”
- adjective (typography, of typefaces) Having thicker strokes than the ordinary form of the typeface. “Many bold fonts are available on this computer.”
- adjective Presumptuous, forward or impudent.
- adjective (Ireland) Naughty; insolent; badly-behaved. “All of her children are terribly bold and never do as they are told.”
- adjective (wine, of alcoholic beverages) Full-bodied.
- adjective (Philippines) Pornographic; depicting nudity. “The government warned bus operators against continuing to show bold content on buses.”
- adjective Steep or abrupt.
- verb (transitive, informal) To make (a font or some text) bold. “Please bold all these subheads.”
- verb (transitive, obsolete) To make bold or daring.
- verb (intransitive, obsolete) To become bold or brave.
- noun (obsolete) A dwelling; habitation; building.
- proper noun A surname.
- proper noun A civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of St Helens, Merseyside, England.
Synonyms
audacious brave courageous daring forward doughty boldface embolden bold face bluff sheer
Antonyms
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”).
From Middle English bolden, balden, from Old English baldian, bealdian, from Proto-Germanic *balþōną, related to *balþaz (see above). Cognate with Old High German irbaldōn (“to become bold, dare”).
From Middle English bold, from Old English bold, blod, bolt, botl (“house, dwelling-place, mansion, hall, castle, temple”), from Proto-Germanic *budlą, *buþlą (“house, dwelling”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰew- (“to grow, wax, swell”) or *bʰuH-.
Cognate with Old Frisian bold (“house”) (whence North Frisian bol, boel, bøl (“house”)), North Frisian bodel, budel (“property, inheritance”), Middle Low German būdel (“property, real estate”). Related to build.
* As an English surname, from the adjective bold (“daring courageous”) or the noun bold (“dwelling, house”).
* As a Swedish and German surname, related to the adjective above, such as in Baldwin and Reinbold.
Webster’s 1913
- adjective Forward to meet danger; venturesome; daring; not timorous or shrinking from risk; brave; courageous.
- adjective Exhibiting or requiring spirit and contempt of danger; planned with courage; daring; vigorous. "The bold design leased highly." Milton.
- verb To make bold or daring. [Obs.] Shak.
- verb To be or become bold. [Obs.]
Etymology [OE. bald, bold, AS. bald, beald; akin to Icel. ballr, OHG. bald, MHG. balt, D. boud, Goth. bal boldness, It. baldo. In Ger. there remains only bald, adv. soon. Cf. Bawd, n.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “bold”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details