1 temerities | Definition of temerities
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temerity

noun
te·​mer·​i·​ty | \ tə-ˈmer-ə-tē How to pronounce temerity (audio) \
plural temerities

Definition of temerity

1 : unreasonable or foolhardy contempt of danger or opposition : rashness, recklessness
2 : a rash or reckless act
Synonyms Choose the Right Synonym Did You Know? Example Sentences Learn More about temerity

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Choose the Right Synonym for temerity

temerity, audacity, hardihood, effrontery, nerve, cheek, gall, chutzpah mean conspicuous or flagrant boldness. temerity suggests boldness arising from rashness and contempt of danger. had the temerity to refuse audacity implies a disregard of restraints commonly imposed by convention or prudence. an entrepreneur with audacity and vision hardihood suggests firmness in daring and defiance. admired for her hardihood effrontery implies shameless, insolent disregard of propriety or courtesy. outraged at his effrontery nerve, cheek, gall, and chutzpah are informal equivalents for effrontery. the nerve of that guy has the cheek to call herself a singer had the gall to demand proof the chutzpah needed for a career in show business

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.

Examples of temerity in a Sentence

He defeated giant corporations—the auto industry, big pharma—back when no one else was even trying to; he had the temerity to believe that fighting for safety and quality and transparency was a quintessentially American thing to do. — 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 my boyfriend if she could go out with him should he and I ever break up
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Recent Examples on the Web

 In fact, Power has the temerity to express disappointment with the U.S. public for refusing to support intervention. — Daniel Bessner, The New Republic, "The Fog of Intervention," 4 Sep. 2019 When The Atlantic had the temerity to hire my colleague Kevin Williamson, a fearless and brilliant libertarian controversialist, seemingly every liberal outlet in the country joined in the pile-on. — Rich Lowry, National Review, "The New York Times Should Stop Whining," 27 Aug. 2019 Earlier this season, a home plate umpire had the temerity to throw a bat to the on-deck circle, denying Finn his greatest pleasure in life. — Gary Peterson, The Mercury News, "Dog days are a good thing for A’s Triple-A team and its four-legged bat boy," 2 Aug. 2019 Barbara Ridlon swung her car into the parking lot, leaped out, and raced headlong toward the man who was pounding his wife for having the temerity to defy him and buy a pair of shoes. — Kevin Cullen, BostonGlobe.com, "Boston’s Barbara Ridlon was all cop, and that’s high praise," 1 Aug. 2019 And not those who simply deserve better for having the temerity of pointing it out. Content and Programming Copyright 2018 Fox News Network, LLC. — Fox News, "Cavuto: Stop throwing mud if you want to drain the swamp," 16 July 2018 That Judge Kavanaugh had the temerity to defend himself vigorously is now being counted as a strike against him. — Orrin Hatch, WSJ, "Brett Kavanaugh’s Righteous Anger," 2 Oct. 2018 Spartanburg Christian senior Grayson Ray once had the temerity to stand in the paint as Williamson stampeded in his direction with a full head of steam. — Andrew Beaton, WSJ, "The Few. The Proud. The Players Who Have Been Run Over by Zion Williamson.," 5 Dec. 2018 Because all the patients were men who had taken up the newly mass-advertised practice of cigarette smoking as soldiers in World War I, Ochsner and DeBakey had the temerity to suggest that cigarettes were responsible. — WSJ, "Who Should Gain From Your Medical Data?," 29 Nov. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'temerity.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of temerity

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

History and Etymology for temerity

Middle English temeryte, borrowed from Latin temeritāt- temeritās, from temere "blindly, recklessly, haphazardly" + -itāt- -itās -ity; temere going back to adverbialized locative singular of a noun *temes- "darkness," going back to Indo-European *temH-es-, whence also Sanskrit tamas- "darkness, gloom," Avestan tǝmah-, and, from the base *temH-, Lithuanian témsta, témti "to become dark," tamsà "darkness," tim͂sras "dark red (of a horse), sorrel," Old Church Slavic tĭma "darkness," tĭmĭnŭ "dark, gloomy," and from a *-ro- adjectival derivative Sanskrit tamra- "darkening, oppressive," Germanic *þemra- "darkness," whence Old High German demar "dusk, twilight"

Note: See also tenebrae.

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More Definitions for temerity

temerity

noun
How to pronounce temerity (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of temerity

formal : the quality of being confident and unafraid of danger or punishment especially in a way that seems rude or foolish

See the full definition for temerity in the English Language Learners Dictionary

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More from Merriam-Webster on temerity

Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with temerity

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for temerity

Spanish Central: Translation of temerity

Nglish: Translation of temerity for Spanish Speakers

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