as in gall
shameless boldness
the little squirt had the effrontery to deny eating any cookies, even with the crumbs still on his lips
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Recent Examples of effrontery
Ani is one of HQ’s best girls, and Madison plays her with a bawdy effrontery and a disarming grin that seems to widen by a mile under neon lights.
—
Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 11 Oct. 2024
Blocking the medical board from physician regulation is the worst effrontery to medical professionalism, puts the public at unacceptable risk, and might be a place for bad physician actors to be shrouded and protected.
—Joel B. Zivot, STAT, 26 Feb. 2024
These companies apparently have the effrontery to resist the attempts to reduce their access to capital being organized, primarily, by a largely unaccountable cabal of activists, financial institutions, and state pension funds.
—Andrew Stuttaford, National Review, 7 Jan. 2024
Miller, putting a spin of effrontery on every line, is the perfect actor to play this corkscrew superhero.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 6 June 2023
See All Example Sentences for effrontery
Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 11 Oct. 2024
Blocking the medical board from physician regulation is the worst effrontery to medical professionalism, puts the public at unacceptable risk, and might be a place for bad physician actors to be shrouded and protected.
—Joel B. Zivot, STAT, 26 Feb. 2024
These companies apparently have the effrontery to resist the attempts to reduce their access to capital being organized, primarily, by a largely unaccountable cabal of activists, financial institutions, and state pension funds.
—Andrew Stuttaford, National Review, 7 Jan. 2024
Miller, putting a spin of effrontery on every line, is the perfect actor to play this corkscrew superhero.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 6 June 2023
See All Example Sentences for effrontery
Recent Examples of Synonyms for effrontery
Noun
-
Their unlikely friendship ended in February 1987, when Warhol died suddenly after a complicated gall bladder operation.—
Lauren Huff,
Entertainment Weekly,
28 Oct. 2025
-
The ability of the Broncos’ core four pass-rushers up front to win one-on-ones — Cooper, NFL sack leader Nik Bonitto, Zach Allen, Franklin-Myers — and the secondary’s ability to win in man coverage on the back-end has given coordinator Vance Joseph the ingredients and the gall of a mad scientist.—
Luca Evans,
Denver Post,
16 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Both ends of the leash will simply enjoy having people pet the therapy dog, chat with the handler, try to calm their nerves before running their big race, and, hopefully, have a significant, measurable feeling of relaxation.—
Kelli Bender,
PEOPLE,
31 Oct. 2025
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All the while, Yelchin, Stewart, Alia Shawkat, and Imogen Poots imbue their disparate characters with inner lives that make each successive shock that much more nerve-fraying.—
Dennis Perkins,
Entertainment Weekly,
31 Oct. 2025
Noun
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This propensity for mental acrobatics, alongside his immense arrogance, was how Epstein rationalized his crimes to himself.—
Helen Lewis,
The Atlantic,
25 Oct. 2025
-
Using him comes across as arrogance.—
Joe Nguyen,
Denver Post,
19 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The sheer scale and audacity of the plan were products of Spain’s luckiest century — and may have represented its peak.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
29 Oct. 2025
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But Interview With the Vampire set a precedent for transformative TV from the Immortal Universe, its narrative and visual audacity subverting adaptation tropes and genre storytelling by challenging viewers’ notions of immortality, sexuality, and destiny.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
25 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Invigorating in its temerity, Smith’s six-episode Season 5 is told with propulsive clarity (save for the mysteries you’re intended to guess at).—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
24 Sep. 2025
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But despite being on the slight side, temerity has never been an issue for Locmelis.—
Steve Conroy,
Boston Herald,
10 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Effrontery.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/effrontery. Accessed 6 Nov. 2025.
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