temerity
noun
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When you’re feeling saucy, there’s no shortage of words in the English language you can use to describe the particular flavor of your metaphorical sauce, from audacity and effrontery to the Yiddish-derived fan favorite chutzpah. If we may be so bold, let us also suggest temerity: it comes from the Latin temere, meaning “recklessly” or “haphazardly,” and is good for suggesting boldness even in the face of danger or likely punishment. Temerity is a formal word, rarely used in casual writing or conversation, but provided you have the cheek to flout this convention, you may be thinking “what have I got to lose?”
Synonyms
Examples of temerity in a Sentence
Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly, 16 Feb. 2007
A wisp of a kid (six feet, 160 pounds) with the temerity to buzz pitches up and in to Barry Bonds, Hudson has a bit of Pedro in him.
—ESPN, 24 July 2000
… all the while you're balancing your two prevailing interests: recording her words to later use against her—because, she, too, had the temerity to be relatively famous and attractive (with a master's from Penn)—while also, more pressingly, trying to get invited back to her apartment.
—Dave Eggers, A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, 2000
He was punished for his temerity.
she had the temerity to ask me if she could borrow some money even though she never repaid the last loan
John Tamny, Forbes, 9 Oct. 2024
Think any Lincoln Lions will have the temerity to crash?
—Sal Pizarro, The Mercury News, 2 Oct. 2024
Without the temerity to stand on his own, his pedigree is unlikely to be worth much.
—Inkoo Kang, The New Yorker, 20 Sep. 2024
Should some lowlife have the temerity to steal your passport, the technology could help the police hunt it down.
—Mark Sparrow, Forbes, 6 Sep. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Temerity.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/temerity. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.
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temerity
noun
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