Lewis & Short

audax, ācis, adj. [from audeo, as ferax from fero, capax from capio], daring, in a good, but oftener in a bad sense, bold, courageous, spirited; audacious, rash, presumptuous, foolhardy (syn.: fortis, temerarius).

  1. I. Lit.
        1. a. Absol.: qui me alter est audacior homo, aut qui me confidentior? Plaut. Am. 1, 1, 1: quae non deliquit, decet Audacem esse, id. ib. 2, 2, 207: o scelestum atque audacem hominem, Ter. Eun. 4, 4, 42: O hominem audacem! id. And. 4, 4, 30: rogitas, audacissime? id. Eun. 5, 4, 26: Verres homo audacissimus atque amentissimus, Cic. Verr. 1, 1, 2 fin.; id. Rosc. Am. 1: temerarius et audax, id. Inv. 1, 3: petulans et audax, id. ad Q. Fr. 2, 4: alii audaces, protervi, id. Fin. 1, 18, 61: audaces, sibi placentes, Vulg. 2 Pet. 2, 10: de improbis et audacibus, Cic. Phil. 14, 3: adulescentes quosdam eligit cum audacissimos tum viribus maximis, Nep. Dion, 9, 3: da facilem cursum atque audacibus annue coeptis, Verg. G. 1, 40: poëta, a poet who remains unmoved amid praise and blame, Hor. Ep. 2, 1, 182 Schmid: audax Iapeti genus, id. C. 1, 3, 25; 3, 27, 28: conjunx timidi aut audacis Ulixis, Ov. M. 14, 671: furit audacissimus omni De numero Lycabas, id. ib. 3, 623 al.
        2. b. Constr.,
          1. (α) With abl.: viribus audax, Verg. A. 5, 67: audax juventā, id. G. 4, 565.
          2. (β) With gen.: audax ingenii, Stat. S. 3, 2, 64; 5, 3, 135: animi, id. Th. 10, 495; Claud. Rapt. Pros. 2, 4; Sil. 14, 416.
          3. (γ) With inf.: audax omnia perpeti, Hor. C. 1, 3, 25: leges inponere, Prop. 5, 5, 13: casus audax spondere secundos, Luc. 7, 246.
          4. (δ) With ad: ad facinus audacior, Cic. Cat. 2, 5.
  2. II. Transf. to things: audax facinus, Ter. Eun. 4, 3, 2; so id. And. 2, 3, 27; id. Phorm. 1, 3, 4; so, animus, Sall. C. 5, 4: consilium, Liv. 25, 38: lingua, Vulg. Eccli. 21, 8: res, Liv. 26, 38: spes audacior, Plin. 28, 4, 7, § 35: paupertas, Hor. Ep. 2, 2, 51: dithyrambi, id. C. 4, 2, 10: verba, bold, i. e. unusual, poetic, Quint. 10, 5, 4: hyperbole audacioris ornatūs, id. 8, 6, 67: volatus, Ov. M. 8, 223 al.
  3. III. Meton., violent, fierce, proud: Nunc audax cave sis, *Cat. 50, 18: ambitiosus et audax, Hor. S. 2, 3, 165: Cerberus, Tib. 1, 10, 35: leones, Vulg. Sap. 11, 18: Hecate, Sen. Med. 844.
    Adv., boldly, courageously, audaciously; in two forms,
        1. a. audācĭter (the original but unusual form; cf.: licet omnes oratores aliud sequantur, i. e. the form audacter, Quint. 1, 6, 17): Multa scelerate, multa audaciter, multa improbe fecisti, Cic. Rosc. Am. 36, 104 B. and K.; cf. Prisc. p. 1014 P.; Sall. H. Fragm. ap. Prisc. l. l.: audaciter se laturum fuisse de etc., Liv. 22, 25: audaciter negantem, id. 40, 55 Weissenb.; Sen. Prov. 4.
        2. b. audacter (the usu. class. form): loquere audacter patri, Plaut. Trin. 2, 2, 82: monere, Ter. Heaut. 1, 1, 6: audacter inter reges versari, Lucr. 2, 50; Cat. 55, 16; Cic. Verr. 2, 2, 54, id. Rosc. Am. 11; id. Fin. 2, 9, 28; id. Ac. 2, 25, 81; Liv. 9, 34; 44, 4: patrare, Vulg. Gen. 34, 30; ib. Jud. 20, 31; ib. Marc. 15, 43 al.
          Comp.: quoi tuum concredat filium audacius, Plaut. Capt. 2, 2, 98; Cic. Or. 8, 26; 60, 202; Caes. B. G. 1, 15; 1, 18; Nep. Epam. 9, 1: scribere, Vulg. Rom. 15, 15.
          Sup.: audacissume oneris quid vis inpone, Ter. Phorm. 3, 3, 28; Caes. B. G. 2, 10; 5, 15; Liv. 30, 30 (on these forms, v. Neue, Formenl. II. p. 661 sq.).