temerity

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for April 15, 2007 is: temerity • \tuh-MAIR-uh-tee\  • noun : unreasonable or foolhardy contempt of danger or opposition : rashness, recklessness Examples: The official was thrown into jail for having the temerity to publicly disagree with the dictator. Did you know? When it comes to flagrant boldness, "temerity," "audacity," "hardihood," and "effrontery" have the cheek to get your meaning across. Of those synonyms, "temerity" (from the Latin "temere," meaning "blindly" or "recklessly") suggests boldness arising from contempt of danger, while "audacity" implies a disregard of the restraints commonly imposed by convention or prudence. "Hardihood" implies firmness in daring and defiance, and "effrontery" suggests a shameless disregard of propriety and courtesy. If you're looking for a more informal term for a brash attitude, you might consider "nerve," "cheek," "gall," or "chutzpah." See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.