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
-
This crisis has shown us which world leaders will not only consent to this genocide, but brutally discipline their populations for having the gall to question it.—
Jack Sheehan
September 4,
Literary Hub,
4 Sep. 2025
-
Then there are parasitic wasps, which lay their eggs in the galls and go on to devour the entire oak gall wasp.—
Maria Azzurra Volpe,
MSNBC Newsweek,
20 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Take some time to relax after a hectic day of work and school by spending quality time together listening to music—hey, maybe these songs will even inspire a dance party to shake out some of the day’s nerves.—
Elisabeth Sherman,
Parents,
12 Sep. 2025
-
Speaking on a podcast last year, Kirk described receiving frequent death threats, saying the dangerous messages showed his political movement had struck a nerve with political opponents.—
Max Zahn,
ABC News,
11 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Mitchell prides himself on being a no-nonsense, no-bulls*** kind of man, but his attitude can sometimes come across as arrogance.—
George Caulkin,
New York Times,
11 Sep. 2025
-
This arrogance is not just limited to tech titans.—
Christian Josi,
Boston Herald,
31 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Another member of the study panel had the audacity to endorse former President Biden for his climate policies.—
Nate Anderson,
ArsTechnica,
12 Sep. 2025
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The series will highlight the unbridled audacity of young men not just leveling up, but determined to become legends in the game.—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
10 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Most of the smashing is done by Tamburlaine, a Scythian shepherd by birth, who rises to the peaks of power, lays waste to one kingdom after another, and has the temerity, at the climax of Part 1, not to die.—
Anthony Lane,
New Yorker,
8 Sep. 2025
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And when Hutch’s son gets into a fight at the arcade, drawing in a local adult who has the temerity to give Hutch’s daughter a shove, Hutch can’t help himself; he’s got to show these bullies who’s boss.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
13 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Effrontery.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/effrontery. Accessed 15 Sep. 2025.
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