Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun Excessive boldness or rashness; foolhardiness or recklessness.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun Extreme venturesomeness; rashness; recklessness.
  • noun Synonyms Rashness, Temerity (see rashness); venturesomeness, presumption, foolhardiness.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun Unreasonable contempt of danger; extreme venturesomeness; rashness.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun not countable Reckless boldness; foolish bravery.
  • noun countable An act or case of reckless boldness.
  • noun not countable Effrontery; impudence.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun fearless daring

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English temerite, from Old French, from Latin temeritās, from temere, rashly.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Latin temeritās ("chance, accident, rashness"), from temerē ("by chance, casually, rashly").

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Examples

  • They were, naturally, delighted at everything they saw, and admired her model greatly: but were, nevertheless, loud in their expressions of wonder at what they termed our temerity in venturing on so long a voyage in such a mere boat.

    For Treasure Bound Harry Collingwood 1886

  • She even persists in these things, and is honestly horrified at what she calls the temerity of going without them.

    They All Do It; or, Mr. Miggs of Danbury and his Neighbors Being a Faithful Record of What Befell the Miggses on Several Important Occasions ... 1877

  • Lee had two surgeons in his corps, Irvine and Skinner; Irvine was apt to expose himself to danger, but Skinner, although he had on one occasion killed his adversary in a duel, was a coward; and the method he now took to punish Irvine for what he called his temerity, was not to dress his wounds until the last.

    A Sketch of the life of Brig. Gen. Francis Marion and a history of his brigade William Dobein James 1801

  • In a written statement, Doğan condemned what he described as the temerity of some members of the ruling party in resorting to threats and untruths to silence the media.

    Turkishdailynews Headlines 2008

  • In a written statement, Doğan condemned what he described as the temerity of some members of the ruling party in resorting to threats and untruths to silence the media.

    Turkishdailynews Headlines 2008

  • This doesn’t mean we shouldn’t do our best to kill them, of course, but all the outrage at their temerity is just an indulgence.

    The Volokh Conspiracy » Why we aren’t putting Omar Khadr on trial 2010

  • Only Germans would be enraged by the temerity of it, or would call it temerity.

    Tours of the Black Clock Steve Erickson 2008

  • General Pierce was as distinguished for what we must term his temerity in personal exposure, as for the higher traits of leadership, wherever there was an opportunity for their display.

    Sketches and Studies Hawthorne, Nathaniel, 1804-1864 1852

  • In this band of gallant men, it is not too much to say, General Pierce was as distinguished for what we must term his temerity in personal exposure, as for the higher traits of leadership, wherever there was an opportunity for their display.

    Sketches and Studies Nathaniel Hawthorne 1834

  • Wonder at his temerity was the impression made by the news, but wonder unmixed with apprehension.

    The Diary and Letters of Madame D'Arblay — Volume 3 Fanny Burney 1796

Comments

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  • Temerity n. excessive confidence or boldness; audacity.

    Implies exposing oneself needlessly to danger while failing to estimate one's chances of success.

    ORIGIN late Middle English : from Latin temeritas, from temere ‘rashly.’

    He didn't know that in some places, like the country that Rahel came form, various kinds of despair competed for primacy. And that personal despair could never be desperate enough. That something happened when personal turmoil dropped by at the wayside shrine of the vast, violent, circling, driving, ridiculous, insane, unfeasible public turmoil of a nation. That Big God howled like a hot wind, and demanded obeisance. Then Small God (cozy and contained, private and limited) came away cauterized, laughing numbly at his own temerity" (Roy 20)

    Roy, Arundhati. The God of Small Things. New York: HarperCollins, 1997.

    February 26, 2008

  • Word History: Today's Good Word is a burnishing of 15th century French témérité, inherited from Latin temeritas "happenstance, accident, at random", a noun derived from the adverb temere "by chance, accidentally". "Blindly" or "in the dark" are other fitting translations of this word because it comes from a Proto-Indo-European word, temes- "dark". We find relatives in Sanskrit tamas- "darkness" and Russian t'ma "darkness" and tëmnyi "dark".

    Dr. Goodword, alphaDictionary.com

    November 30, 2009

  • Stan raised his light eyebrows at my temerity. -Charlaine Harris, Living Dead in Dallas

    December 11, 2010

  • This word was used in "To Kill A Mockingbird" when Atticus was defending Mr. Robinson at his trial.

    June 20, 2012

  • Temerity is used in Chapter XXII of "The Return of Dr Fu-Manchu by Sax Rohmer.

    March 3, 2015

  • No child has the temerity to go in the rundown house at the end of the street and see if it is haunted.

    October 29, 2017