May we count your visit with Google Analytics? It uses cookies and sends visit data to Google. You can change this any time under Cookie choices. Privacy

 Browse the A to Z list

Bold

adj. capable, energetic everyday

What it means

Meaning 1

Willing to act despite risk, uncertainty, or the possibility of criticism.

Reach for it when praising a person, choice, or proposal for confident courage

Her bold decision to publish the failed trial prevented other teams from repeating it.

Meaning 2

Designed or expressed so strongly that it immediately commands notice.

Reach for it when describing colors, flavors, statements, or visual choices with high impact

The poster uses a bold red border that remains visible from the street.

Words to choose between 9

By register, from playful at the top to literary at the bottom, and by meaning across. Tap a word to see when it fits.
Meaning 1Meaning 2
everyday
professional
formal
literary

Meaning 1: Willing to act despite risk, uncertainty, or the possibility of criticism.

  • everyday

    brave

    Fits when fear or hardship is clearly present

    Careful A novel proposal can be bold without its author facing genuine danger.

  • everyday

    daring

    Fits when the risk is exciting and unconventional

    Careful Daring can imply thrill-seeking, so it is wrong for sober moral courage.

  • formal

    audacious

    Fits when ambition pushes strikingly beyond convention

    Careful Audacious may suggest cheek or recklessness if respectful confidence is intended.

  • literary

    intrepid

    Fits when someone repeatedly enters danger without shrinking

    Careful It is inflated for a confident design choice or ordinary workplace proposal.

  • literary

    venturesome

    Fits when eagerness to try uncertain paths is the appeal

    Careful Use brave instead if the action answers duty rather than appetite for novelty.

Meaning 2: Designed or expressed so strongly that it immediately commands notice.

  • everyday

    dramatic

    Fits when contrast or effect feels theatrical

    Careful A bold choice can be spare and quiet, while dramatic suggests spectacle.

  • everyday

    vivid

    Fits when color or description feels intensely clear

    Careful Vivid does not mean courageous and should not describe the person who chose it.

  • professional

    assertive

    Fits when a style communicates confidence without apology

    Careful For people, assertive concerns expression and boundaries rather than visual prominence.

  • professional

    striking

    Fits when immediate visual notice is the whole point

    Careful Striking need not be forceful in color, flavor, or opinion.

Opposites 4

  • timid
  • cautious
  • faint
  • subtle

Common phrases 3

  • bold decision

    The bold decision opened the program to applicants without formal credentials.

  • bold move

    A bold move in the final round secured the team's place in the championship.

  • bold design

    The bold design pairs oversized type with generous empty space.

Word family 2

Definitions and examples are written for this site. How words are chosen Recording: Dvortygirl, American accent, from Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 Updated