Definition of: effrontery

(i·frun′tər·ē) noun plural ·er·ies
Insolent assurance; audacity; impudence. [<F effronterie <OF esfront shameless <L effrons <ex- out + frons, frontis forehead, face] Synonyms: assurance, audacity, boldness, brass, hardihood, impudence, insolence, shamelessness. Audacity, in the sense here considered, is a reckless defiance of law, decency, public opinion, or personal rights, claims, or views, approaching the meaning of impudence or shamelessness, but always carrying the thought of the personal risk that one disregards in such defiance; the merely impudent or shameless person may take no thought of consequences; the audacious person recognizes and recklessly braves them. Hardihood defies and disregards the rational judgment of men. Effrontery (L effrons bare–faced, shameless) adds to audacity and hardihood the special element of defiance of considerations of propriety, duty, and respect for others, yet not to the extent implied in impudence or shamelessness. Impudence disregards what is due to superiors: shamelessness defies decency. Boldness is forward–stepping courage, spoken of with reference to the presence and observation of others; boldness, in the good sense, is courage viewed from the outside; but the word is frequently used in an unfavorable sense to indicate a lack of proper sensitiveness and modesty. Compare ASSURANCE, BRAVE, IMPUDENCE. Antonyms: bashfulness, coyness, diffidence, modesty, sensitiveness, shrinking, shyness, timidity.