Monday, April 16, 2007

Merriam-Webster Word of the Day: Temerity

The Word of the Day for April 15 is:

temerity \tuh-MAIR-uh-tee\ noun

: unreasonable or foolhardy contempt of danger or opposition : rashness, recklessness

Example sentence:
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."

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