temerity
- Excessive confidence or boldness that leads one to take reckless risks or act with shocking audacity.
In a sentence
- She had the temerity to contradict the professor in front of the entire lecture hall.
- The young soldier's temerity led him to charge the position alone, against all orders.
Usage note. Temerity implies negative recklessness, not admirable bravery; do not confuse it with 'tenacity,' which means persistent determination.
Where it comes from
English temerity · entered English 15th c.
From Latin 'temeritas,' meaning 'rashness, recklessness, chance,' derived from 'temere,' meaning 'blindly, rashly, by chance.' It entered English in the 15th century, initially through scholarly Latin usage.