cheekiness 1 of 2

noun

Definition of cheekinessnext
as in nerve
shameless boldness the cheekiness of the restaurant's demand that we pay for unordered food was breathtaking

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

cheeky

2 of 2

adjective

ˈchē-kē How to pronounce cheeky (audio)
as in wise
displaying or marked by rude boldness a cheeky comment about something that was none of her business

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of cheekiness
Noun
The cheekiness, the humor, but the real humanity too. — Erin Clack, PEOPLE, 7 Dec. 2025 The split hem on the pencil skirt also adds a bit of cheekiness to the dress. — Caroline Hughes, Travel + Leisure, 30 Oct. 2025
Adjective
Ultron values his ability to hide his loyalties and sees it as cheeky. — Tasha Robinson, Vulture, 28 Oct. 2026 In photos obtained by TMZ, Union’s two-piece consisted of a plunging twist-front top and cheeky string bottoms. — Hannah Malach, InStyle, 27 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for cheekiness
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cheekiness
  1. nerve
  2. gall
  3. arrogance
  4. brashness
  5. sauciness
  6. confidence
  7. audacity
Noun
  • That’s part of the reason why Obama’s remark instantly hit a nerve in the MAGA universe.
    — Clarence Page, Chicago Tribune, 2 Nov. 2026
  • Those minerals form the outer layer of your teeth, which protects the internal layers of tissues, nerves and blood vessels, from damage.
    — Rachel Carlson, NPR, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of nerve
Noun
  • The official copy covered four big sheets of parchment in ink made from oak galls.
    — James Whorton Jr, Longreads, 13 Oct. 2026
  • What galls, perhaps, is less the accident itself than the absence of a person stepping out from behind the wheel, having a human experience of horror and regret.
    — Molly Fischer, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of gall
Noun
  • But the Workers’ Party (PT) leader, who was accused of arrogance and of failing to understand the needs of young gig-economy workers, shook up his strategy, said Igor Gielow in Folha de São Paulo.
    — The Week UK, TheWeek, 31 Oct. 2026
  • McVay and Snead have effectively built a culture of arrogance.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of arrogance
Noun
  • His brashness is his principal liability as an investigative journalist and his best asset, though of course that’s not how Lee would put it.
    — Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Fans walked around downtown in gear declaring their dominance - national championship tees and Rose Bowl jackets - and businesses hung signs in homage to their head coach’s brashness.
    — Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of brashness
Noun
  • Lace and leather gloves sourced from vintage costumers added a touch of sauciness to Oscar de la Renta and Carolina Herrera evening dresses worn to the ballet and and the theater.
    — Nicky Josephine, Vogue, 29 June 2026
Definition of sauciness
Noun
  • The research represents an early step towards making model identity and response integrity independently verifiable, potentially giving users greater confidence in the systems powering their applications.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 4 Nov. 2026
  • Have the confidence to walk away For founders, persistence is often celebrated, but knowing when to stop investing in a business can be just as important as having the conviction to start one.
    — Amy Francombe, Vogue, 3 Nov. 2026
Definition of confidence
Noun
  • The Betsy Orb supercharges his art with South Beach audacity and AI animation.
    — Elisa Turner, Miami Herald, 29 Oct. 2026
  • The audacity to try is a matter of courage—and Cohen, the primary vocalist, has a ton.
    — Samuel Hyland, Pitchfork, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of audacity

Browse Nearby Words

cheek
cheekiness
cheeks
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Cheekiness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cheekiness. Accessed 7 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of abandon

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Old-Timey Vehicles

The Words of the Week - Nov. 6

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
woman sitting on floor holding book in front of her face on pink background
Famous Novels, Last Lines Quiz Needless to say, spoiler alert.
See All