audacity
/ɔˈdæ.sɪ.ti/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: 3.27 in modern English
14
Scrabble Score
8
Letters
4
Syllables
7
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
Fearlessness, intrepidity or daring, especially with confident disregard for personal safety, conventional thought, or other restrictions.
Countable; Uncountable
Example Sentences
- "The brash private had the audacity to criticize the general."
- "Somebody never pays his loans, yet he has the audacity to ask the bank for money."
- "“Oh?” she said. “So you have decided to revise my guest list for me? You have the nerve, the – the –” I saw she needed helping out. “Audacity,” I said, throwing her the line. “The audacity to dictate to me who I shall have in my house.” It should have been “whom”, but I let it go. “You have the –” “Crust.” “– the immortal rind,” she amended, and I had to admit it was stronger, “to tell me whom” – she got it right that time – “I may entertain at Brinkley Court and who” – wrong again – “I may not.”"
Etymology
From Middle English audacite, from Medieval Latin audācitās (whence -acity), from Latin audāx (“bold”), from audeō (“to be bold, to dare”).
Origin
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ɔˈdæ.sɪ.ti/
- British English: /ɔːˈdæ.sɪ.ti/