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
-
Possible diseases include powdery mildew, blight, crown rot, leaf gall, root rot, leaf spot, and rust.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
The Spruce,
12 Mar. 2026
-
Imagine having the gall to besmirch the name of a young mother killed for trying to speak up for her neighbors or of an ICU nurse shot in the back for trying to tend to a woman who had been pepper-sprayed in the face.—
Sasha Abramsky,
Washington Post,
2 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
And the nerve of those fake news outlets!—
Christine Smallwood,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Mar. 2026
-
Waiting to find out the vocal assignments is always a little nerve-wracking.—
Billboard Japan,
Billboard,
24 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
In a study with 355 participants, the authors narrowed their list to 16 warning signs that predicted violence that occurred within six months — many of them having to do with entitlement, arrogance, control and emotional immaturity.—
Kristen Rogers,
CNN Money,
21 Mar. 2026
-
The same arrogance has infected the political sphere.—
Anthony Scaramucci,
Fortune,
19 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The secret tasks are pulled off with breathtaking audacity and the millionaire has never been more dangerous.—
Ethan Shanfeld,
Variety,
18 Mar. 2026
-
In Alabama, the punishment for this audacity had most often involved waking up to her family’s dogs poisoned in the night.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
17 Mar. 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 29 Mar. 2026.
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