Chutzpah

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈxʊts.pə/

Definitions

1. Audacious impudence or nerve, especially when displayed in a way that is shocking or offensive to others
2. Shameless boldness combined with extreme confidence and disregard for social norms or consequences
3. Brazen nerve and unashamed audacity shown through actions that defy expectation or propriety

Etymology: Chutzpah is a word that English borrowed from Yiddish, and its Hebrew and Aramaic ancestry carries a sense that the modern meaning has softened. The Aramaic form "ḥuṣpā" meant "audacity" or "boldness," and it came from a verb meaning "to be impudent or arrogant." In Yiddish, the same word became "khutspe," and it entered English around 1890 to 1895, a period when many Yiddish terms were drifting into American speech through immigrant communities in cities such as New York. Along the way, the word kept its core idea of brazen nerve, but English speakers tended to hear it as a term of admiration as much as criticism. The person with chutzpah is not merely rude; they have the sheer gall to do something that others would never dare, and the word carries a grudging respect for that boldness even as it condemns the act.

Synonyms: audacity, nerve, gall, boldness, brashness

Antonyms: timidity, meekness, modesty, humility, shyness