effrontery

English

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ɪˈfrʌntəri/, /ɛˈfrʌntəri/

Etymology

From late 17th century French effronterie, from effronté (“shameless, insolent”), from Old French esfronté, from Vulgar Latin *exfrontātus, from Latin exfrōns (“barefaced”), from prefix ex- (“from”) + frōns (“forehead”).

Noun

effrontery (countable and uncountable; plural effronteries)

1. insolent and shameless audacity

   We even had the effrontery to suggest that he should leave the country.

2. an act of insolent and shameless audacity

   Any refusal to salute the president shall be counted as an effrontery.

Quotations

• For examples of the usage of this term see the citations page.

Translations

insolent and shameless audacity

Bulgarian: нахалство (bg) n., безочливост (bg) f. French: effronterie (fr) German: Dreistigkeit (de)

Italian: sfrontatezza (it) Korean: 뻔뻔스러움 (ko) Spanish: desfachatez (es) f.

References

• 2005, Ed. Catherine Soanes and Angus Stevenson, The Oxford Dictionary of English (2nd edition revised), Oxford University Press, ISBN 0198610572
• 1996, T.F. Hoad, The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Etymology, Oxford University Press, ISBN 0192830988
• “Effrontery, n.” in OED Online, Oxford University Press, 1989.