Definition of CHUTZPAH

Choose the Right Synonym for chutzpah

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

Examples of chutzpah in a Sentence

had the chutzpah to demand that he be treated as a special case and be given priority in settling his insurance claim

Recent Examples on the Web

And coming from Sharon Stone, the person whose photo is next to chutzpah in the dictionary, this means something. — Amanda Mitchell, Marie Claire, "Sharon Stone on Being a Mom to Sons in a Post-MeToo World," 16 Oct. 2018 David Marcus, who used to lead Facebook Messenger and now runs the company’s experimental blockchain division, was galled by Acton’s chutzpah. — Casey Newton, The Verge, "Why the WhatsApp acquisition ended with everyone mad at each other," 27 Sep. 2018 What annoys me is the everyone else's fixation on the fruits of their uterus, the obsession with motherhood in its most basic form over brains, talent, bravery, ambition and chutzpah. — Elisabeth Egan, Glamour, "Motherhood Is Having a Moment—but I'm Not Loving It as Much as You'd Think," 24 July 2018 The sheer chutzpah and body count of Infinity War knocks us for a loop, and this malaise will last until the good guys come through in Avengers 4. — Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, "'Avengers: Infinity War': Why you shouldn't freak out about that death toll (spoilers!)," 29 Apr. 2018 From about $540 a night, fourseasons.com/budapest Where to eat Borkonyha Wine Kitchen, in the shadow of V’s neoclassical St. Stephen’s Basilica, cross-pollinates French savoir-faire with Hungarian chutzpah, and has a Michelin star to boot. — J.s. Marcus, WSJ, "The Best of Budapest: A Guide for Strategic Travelers," 27 June 2018 There's a Yiddish word for what Trump is doing: chutzpah. — Ben Joravsky, Chicago Reader, "Time to yank Trump’s wretched name off his tower—or make him pay more taxes," 25 June 2018 But the point remains: Chastising the media for releasing classified information after releasing information that your own administration worries endangers security takes some chutzpah. — Philip Bump, Washington Post, "Sarah Huckabee Sanders's disingenuous defense of how the White House handles classified material," 12 Feb. 2018 In between, a Euless location officially opened Monday in the Glade Parks center -- with a little bit of chutzpah, because the new Hopdoddy is a patty's throw away from a Five Guys Burgers & Fries that's also in the center. — Robert Philpot, star-telegram, "Looking for something to eat in Euless? There's a new burger joint in town | Fort Worth Star-Telegram," 7 May 2018

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