ENGLISH
REFERENCE

bold

adj. · v.
US //ˈboʊɫd// UK //bˈəʊld// bold
  1. 1 brave (adj.)
    B1 Intermediate

    brave and not afraid to take risks.

    showing a willingness to take risks; confident and courageous.

    Example

    It was a bold move to quit her job and start her own company.

    Example

    The CEO made a bold decision to pivot the company's entire strategy toward renewable energy despite the initial financial risks.
  2. 2 visually striking (adj.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    strong, bright, or very easy to see.

    having a strong or vivid appearance; standing out clearly to the eye.

    Example

    The artist used bold colours like bright red and orange in the painting.

    Example

    The new logo features bold geometric shapes that remain legible even when scaled down for mobile applications.
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  1. 3 thick text (adj.)
    B1 Intermediate Computing

    printed with thick, dark lines to make it stand out.

    denoting a typeface with thick strokes, used for emphasis or headings.

    Example

    Important words in the instructions are printed in bold type.

    Example

    The editor suggested using a bold font for the subheadings to improve the document's overall hierarchy and readability.
  2. 4 rude or disrespectful (adj.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    showing a lack of respect; being too confident in a rude way.

    impudent or presumptuous; lacking the proper respect for someone in authority.

    Example

    The student was very bold to talk back to the teacher like that.

    Example

    His bold interruption of the chairman was seen as a serious breach of professional etiquette.
  3. 5 naughty (adj.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate British English Dialect

    behaving badly or being disobedient.

    behaving in a naughty or insolent manner; frequently applied to children.

    Example

    The bold child refused to eat his vegetables and threw his plate.

    Example

    She told her son he was being a bold boy for teasing the dog during dinner.

    Usage

    Commonly used in Ireland and parts of the UK to describe children.
  4. 6 to format text (v.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate Informal Computing

    to make text look thicker and darker on a screen or page.

    to apply a bold weight to a font or specific string of text.

    Example

    You should bold the main points so they are easier to find.

    Example

    The software allows users to bold entire paragraphs with a single keyboard shortcut.
Etymology 1

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”).

Etymology 2

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”).

Etymology 3

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.

Word family

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