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boldly

 - 4 dictionary results

bold

  [bohld]
Use boldly in a Sentence
–adjective, -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. deep enough to be navigable close to the shore: bold waters.
8. Printing. typeset in boldface.
9. Obsolete. trusting; assured.
—Idiom
10. make bold, to presume or venture; dare: I made bold to offer my suggestion.
Origin:
bef. 1000; ME bald, bold, OE b(e)ald; c. OS, OHG bald, D boud bold, ON ballr dire < Gmc *bál-tha-z; akin to Welsh balch proud, Ir balc strong < *bal-ko-

Related forms:
boldly, adverb
boldness, noun

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.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To boldly
bold   (bōld)   
adj.   bold·er, bold·est

  1. Fearless and daring; courageous.

  2. Requiring or exhibiting courage and bravery. See Synonyms at brave.

  3. Unduly forward and brazen; impudent: a bold, sassy child.

  4. Clear and distinct to the eye; conspicuous: a bold handwriting.

  5. Steep or abrupt in grade or terrain: bold cliffs.

  6. Printing Boldface.


[Middle English, from Old English bald; see bhel-2 in Indo-European roots.]
bold'ly adv., bold'ness n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Slang Dictionary
bold

  1. mod.
    great; outstanding. : Bold move, Charles. You outfoxed them.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Word Origin & History

bold 
O.E. beald (W.Saxon), bald (Anglian) "bold, brave," from P.Gmc. *balthaz (cf. O.H.G. bald "bold, swift," in names such as Archibald, Leopold, Theobald; Goth. balþei "boldness;" O.N. ballr "frightful, dangerous"), perhaps from PIE *bhol-to-, suffixed form of *bhel- "to blow, swell" (see bole). O.Fr./Prov. baut, It. baldo "bold, daring, fearless" are Gmc. loan-words.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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