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
Both clever, the younger had the effrontery to be popular and sporty, too.
—
Esther Freud, Vogue, 2 July 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for effrontery
Esther Freud, Vogue, 2 July 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for effrontery
Recent Examples of Synonyms for effrontery
Noun
-
Cutting open the gall when green will reveal the wasp larva in the center.—
Pamm Cooper,
Hartford Courant,
9 May 2026
-
Yes had the good sense and the gall to ask him to come back and produce their new record.—
Andy Cush,
Pitchfork,
9 May 2026
Noun
-
Moreover, this multi-institutional collaboration between UCHealth, CU Anschutz, Caltech, and USC seeks to restore autonomy to individuals battling spinal cord injuries, ALS, and other motor-nerve diseases.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
12 May 2026
-
But further research led him to realize that hantavirus is well-known, which somewhat calmed his nerves.—
Rebecca Cohen,
NBC news,
12 May 2026
Noun
-
Think about the arrogance behind that.—
Jovani Patterson,
Baltimore Sun,
16 May 2026
-
But his temper and arrogance were equally unparalleled, constantly leading him to argue with authority figures, from referees to his own managers.—
Leslie Felperin,
HollywoodReporter,
15 May 2026
Noun
-
Was the omission classic Alcaraz audacity or a mere translation issue?—
José Criales-Unzueta,
Vanity Fair,
12 May 2026
-
But Seixas is in the business of shocking people with his audacity, so a stage win or two, especially on his home roads in the Alps, is surely not out of the question.—
Ali Rampling,
New York Times,
4 May 2026
Noun
-
After Los Angeles Unified delivered 3,200 pink slips to teachers and employees last month, the United Teachers Los Angeles has the temerity to strike for higher pay.—
Lance Christensen,
Oc Register,
18 Mar. 2026
-
Each player shuffled from side to side in unison to protect the centre of the pitch, with a bite in midfield whenever Arsenal had the temerity to funnel themselves into shooting positions.—
Mark Carey,
New York Times,
16 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Effrontery.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/effrontery. Accessed 19 May. 2026.
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