NYT Dictionary

BOLD

/ˈbɒld/
AdjectiveVerbNounBOHLDGrade 6

Accepted in official NYT Spelling Bee puzzle years: 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026

Meaning

Courageous, daring.

Etymology

Origin: Old English

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”).

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

audaciousbravecourageousdaringforwarddoughtyboldfaceemboldenbluffsheer

Antonyms

risk-averseconservativereluctanttimid

NYT Puzzle Appearances

Accepted in 8 recorded puzzles:

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