effrontery

English

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ɪˈfɹʌntəɹi/, /ɛˈfɹʌntəɹi/

Noun

effrontery (countable and uncountable, plural effronteries)

  1. (uncountable) Insolent and shameless audacity.
    We even had the effrontery to suggest that he should leave the country.
  2. (countable) An act of insolent and shameless audacity.
    Any refusal to salute the president shall be counted as an effrontery.

Quotations

  • For quotations of use of this term, see Citations:effrontery.

Translations

References

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