Definition of: temerity

(tə·mer′ə·tē) noun
Venturesome or foolish boldness; rashness; disregard of personal danger or consequences. [<L temeritas, -tatis <temere rashly] Synonyms: audacity, foolhardiness, hardihood, hastiness, heedlessness, precipitancy, precipitation, presumption, rashness, recklessness, venturesomeness. Rashness applies to the actual impulsive rushing into danger without counting the cost; temerity denotes the needless exposure of oneself to peril because of lack of foresight. Rashness is used chiefly of bodily acts, temerity often of mental or social matters. We say it is amazing that one should have had the temerity to make a statement which could be readily proved a falsehood; in such use temerity is often closely allied to hardihood, audacity, or presumption. Venturesomeness dallies on the edge of danger and experiments with it; foolhardiness rushes in for want of sense, heedlessness for want of attention, rashness for want of reflection, recklessness from disregard of consequences. Antonyms: care, caution, circumspection, cowardice, hesitation, timidity, wariness.