Words / B1

BOHLD/bəʊld/

Bold means brave and confident: a bold decision; in bold type (thick dark letters). Brave is close for people; daring can sound risky. Timid is an opposite. In documents, print the heading in bold. Do not call a reckless policy bold as praise in a balanced essay without evidence — examiners notice spin.

Meaning

Brave and confident; also printed in thick dark type.

Examples

• “It was a bold decision to change the exam board mid-year.”
• “Changing exam board mid-year was a bold decision.”
• “Put the key words in bold so the marker can see the structure.”

Good to know

a bold decision / move. Type: in bold. Close: brave. Opposite: timid. Reckless is not automatically bold.

Near in meaning

brave

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