What does bodacious mean?
Bodacious is an informal adjective meaning excellent, impressive, or strikingly remarkable. It originated in nineteenth-century American English, particularly in the South, as a blend of "bold" and "audacious," originally conveying boldness or brazenness. Over time, and especially through 1980s surf culture and popular films, the dominant meaning shifted toward something spectacular, admirable, or attention-grabbing — a bodacious performance, a bodacious wave, a bodacious outfit. The word carries a playful, energetic, deliberately over-the-top connotation, making it well suited to casual speech, humor, and nostalgic references to eighties slang rather than formal writing. An older sense describing a full-figured woman still lingers but is now generally avoided as dated and potentially objectifying. For writers seeking a vivid, tongue-in-cheek way to say "outstandingly good or bold," bodacious delivers personality that plainer synonyms like "excellent" cannot match.
adjectiveExcellent, impressive, or attractive; remarkable to an eye-catching degree. In older and chiefly American Southern usage, it also means audacious or brazen.
- Excellent, remarkable, or strikingly impressive.
- (Chiefly US, dated) Audacious, bold, or unrestrained; sometimes used of a curvaceous female figure.
"She delivered a bodacious performance that brought the whole crowd to its feet."
"The band put on a bodacious show that had everyone dancing by the second song."
"He made the bodacious decision to quit his job and sail around the world."
Bodacious was born in the American South as a mash-up of "bold" and "audacious," then went global thanks to 1980s surfer slang and Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of bodacious
Bodacious emerged in American English in the nineteenth century, most likely in the Southern United States, as a blend of "bold" and "audacious." Its earliest senses emphasized boldness and unrestrained behavior. The word was revived and reshaped by late twentieth-century American slang — notably 1980s surfer and teen culture — which established the now-dominant sense of "excellent" or "remarkable." It shares its "audacious" component with Latin-derived words such as "audacious" itself, from Latin audax ("bold").
How bodacious is actually used
Informal and colloquial; it carries a playful, retro flavor associated with 1980s American surf and teen slang. The sense referring to a woman's figure is dated and may be considered objectifying, so use with care. The word reads as humorous rather than serious in modern writing.
Easily confused with bodacious
"Audacious" means boldly daring or impudent, while "bodacious" (a blend of bold and audacious) more often describes something impressively excellent, striking, or curvy.