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Effrontery
Shameless audacity; bold, presumptuous behavior that shows a lack of respect or shame.
noun💡
Imagine This
Imagine a junior employee interrupts a board meeting to demand a raise, smiling confidently, and arguing they deserve it—this is effrontery, bold and shameless in front of everyone.
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Sounds Like
ih-FRON-tuh-ree
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Looks Like
Looks like 'front' with -ery; related to showing one's face (frons) openly
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Remember This
The word comes from Old French effronterie, ultimately from Latin effrontare meaning to put out one’s face; it carries a strongly negative connotation.
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Other Forms
effronteriesnoun
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Connect With
audacity, insolence, brazenness, nerve, impertinence
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Note
Use with a critical tone to describe behavior that is brazenly disrespectful. Not a simple 'boldness' but a shameless or insolent boldness.
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Study Deeper
Examples
- It was an act of effrontery for the manager to demand loyalty while ignoring the team's contributions.
- She had the effrontery to challenge the professor in front of the entire class.
Synonyms
audacityinsolencebrazennessnerveimpudence
Antonyms
humilitymodestydeference
Etymology
From Old French effronterie, from Latin effrontare ‘to put out the face; to show one’s face shamelessly,’ from ex- ‘out’ + frons ‘face.’
Mnemonic
Mnemonic: EX-FRONT-ERY — Expose your front (face) to everyone; effrontery is shameless boldness in showing your face.
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Parsimony
nounThe quality of being extremely frugal or stingy; the tendency to spend as little as possible.
Impugn
verbTo dispute the truth, validity, or honesty of a claim, statement, or someone's motives; to challenge or cast doubt on.
Decadence
nounA decline in cultural and moral standards, often accompanied by excessive self-indulgence and luxury.
Similar Words
Related words and words with the same part of speech.
Insolence
nounBold, disrespectful impudence or attitude toward someone, especially toward authority.
Abasement
nounThe act or instance of humiliating or degrading someone; the state of being lowered in dignity or status.
Absurdity
nounThe quality or state of being wildly unreasonable, illogical, or ridiculous; something that is completely contrary to reason or common sense.
Accent
nounA distinctive way of pronouncing words; the act of emphasizing a syllable or word (as a verb, to accent means to emphasize).
Accolade
nounAn honor; a public expression of praise or an award.
Acrimony
nounBitterness of speech or manner; ill feeling
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