Chutzpa

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A boldness that showcases a lack of shame and confidence in challenging social norms
2. A striking confidence marked by a disregard for conventional limits and embarrassment
3. A fearless and shameless type of bravery that defies usual social expectations

Etymology: Chutzpah has a reputation for being an assertive, almost aggressive word, but its roots are in a Hebrew and Aramaic term that carried a plain sense of impudence. The Aramaic "ḥuṣpā" meant audacity or boldness, and it was built on a verb, "ḥăṣap̄," meaning to be impudent or arrogant. Hebrew speakers and later Yiddish speakers kept that core idea, so the word has always described something a little rude as well as bold. Yiddish took the word as "khutspe," and it arrived in English around 1890 to 1895. English speakers picked it up with the same double edge the original carried: it names nerve that is admirable in its boldness and irritating in its disregard for convention. The word's history is therefore one of a single meaning that has stayed remarkably steady across more than two thousand years of use.

Synonyms: audacity, nerve, boldness, gall, impudence

Antonyms: timidity, meekness, modesty, shyness, humility