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📕 rednote ID(小红书号)：3881567312

Bold: Definition, Usage & Common Mistakes Explained (2 meaning)

Meaning 1：courageous and confident (bold)

bold 🔊

/bəʊld/

adj.

Brave and confident, not afraid to take risks or say what you think.

Bold person confidently speaking on stage, illustrating courage and confidence.

courageous and confident 🔊

➕

/kəˈreɪdʒəs ænd ˈkɒnfɪdənt/

adj.

Describes a person who is willing to take risks or act decisively without fear.

📁 Category：Social Roles 🔖 Level：Intermediate

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation

From Old English 'beald' meaning brave, bold. Related to Old High German 'bald'.

💡 Mnemonic

Think of a BOLD person stepping out of LINE to be noticed, just like bold text stands out from regular text.

📖 Example

She made a bold decision to quit her job and travel the world, inspiring her friends. 🔊 She made a courageous and confident decision to quit her job and travel the world, inspiring her friends.

🔗 Collocations

bold move – a brave and risky action

bold statement – a confident and forceful declaration

bold enough – having sufficient courage to do something

🔄 Synonyms

brave (adj.) – showing courage in the face of danger

daring (adj.) – adventurous or audaciously bold

fearless (adj.) – lacking fear

🚫 Antonyms

timid (adj.) – showing a lack of courage or confidence

cautious (adj.) – careful to avoid potential problems or dangers

🌱 Derivatives

boldness (n.) – the quality of being bold; courage

boldly (adv.) – in a confident and courageous way

📖 Cultural Story

The word evolved from Old English 'beald', directly meaning brave and daring. By the late 16th century, it developed its typographic sense, describing prominent, thick letters designed to stand out clearly on a page.

Meaning 2：thick and prominent (bold)

bold 🔊

/bəʊld/

adj.

Having thick and dark lines, used for text to make it stand out, like in fonts.

Bold text example on a screen, showing thick prominent font for emphasis.

thick and prominent 🔊

➕

/θɪk ænd ˈprɒmɪnənt/

adj.

Describes text with thick, dark lines that make it visually stand out from surrounding text.

📁 Category：Language Evolution 🔖 Level：Beginner

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Example

In the presentation, use bold text for the key points so they catch everyone's attention. 🔊 In the presentation, use thick and prominent text for the key points so they catch everyone's attention.

🔗 Collocations

bold font – a typeface with thick, heavy strokes

in bold – printed or displayed using bold type

bold type – characters set in a thick, heavy style

🔄 Synonyms

heavy (adj.) – referring to a thick typeface weight

prominent (adj.) – standing out and easily seen

🚫 Antonyms

light (adj.) – referring to a thin or fine typeface

regular (adj.) – referring to the standard, non-bold weight of a font