Boldness

Boldness is the opposite of being fearful.

For example, in the context of sociability, a bold person may be willing to risk shame or rejection in social situations, and willing to bend rules of etiquette or politeness. An excessively bold person could aggressively ask for money, or persistently push a person to fulfill some request, and so on. Boldness does not necessarily mean obnoxious; it is possible for one to be bold, while staying silent. Excessive boldness may thus be regarded as impertinence or arrogance.

Outside a social context, "boldness" can also refer to a willingness to get things done, even despite risks, and is therefore broadly synonymous with bravery.

Boldness is not always in a rash context, but can have a great positive connotation to the word. Being bold can be a huge step in social development. In society's point of view being bold means being brave.

Bold is sometimes used synonymously with (and in place of) "impudent", where a child may be punished for "being bold" when he or she had acted disrespectfully toward an adult, or simply misbehaved.

A typical example of personified boldness is often found by many specialists in the Greco-Roman mythological character of Philemon.^[1]

See also

Look up boldness in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

• Chutzpah
• Courage
• Disinhibition
• New York's Boldest
• Shyness
• Sisu

References