I. ˈbōld adjective
( usually -er/-est )
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English bald, beald; akin to Old High German bald bold, Old Norse ballr frightful, Gothic balth aba boldly, and probably to Old English blāwan to blow — more at blow
1.
a. : fearless in meeting danger or difficulty : aggressively daring : not shrinking from risk : intrepid , venturesome
bold settlers on some foreign shore — William Wordsworth
b. : showing or reflecting a courageous daring spirit and contempt of danger
a bold speech
a bold plan
2. : presumptuously confident and self-reliant : taking undue liberties : lacking modesty and restraint : forward , rude , impudent
bold triflers with the unknown
a bold little urchin
3. obsolete : wholly assured : confident
4.
a. : of great strength or intensity : fierce
the howling of bold winds
bold flames leaping to the sky
b. : full-flavored : heady
bold brandy
: piquant, pungent, or nippy
bold aromatic peppers
c. : fully developed : mature , ripe
bold fields of grain
d. : well filled out : plump
a laughing girl with a bold lithe figure
5. : rising, sloping, or dropping abruptly : sheer , steep
where some of the boldest chalk cliffs of England rise from the waters of the Atlantic — Richard Joseph
6. : marked by departure from convention or tradition : free , daring
a bold thinker
a bold art design
this bold modern trend toward loose behavior in love — Ellen Glasgow
7. : standing out prominently : markedly conspicuous eye-catching , arresting : fully delineated
bold letters scrawled across the wall
bold newspaper headlines
a figure carved in bold relief
8. : being or composed of large pieces (as of fossil resin in commerce)
9. : bold-faced 3
Synonyms: see brave
II. verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Middle English bolden, from Old English bealdian, from beald bold
intransitive verb
obsolete : to be or become bold
transitive verb
obsolete : embolden
III. noun
( -s )
Etymology: by shortening
: boldface