ih-FRUN-tuh-ree
(noun) Shameless or impudent boldness.
She had the effrontery to interrupt the professor mid-lecture and correct him.
Fun Fact
“Effrontery” has been part of the English language since the 1700s and originally described behavior so rude it seemed to show a “barefaced” lack of shame. It’s a word you’ll find in classic literature and courtroom drama alike—where confidence crosses the line into arrogance.
AP-ih-tense
(noun) A natural craving or strong desire; an instinctive inclination toward something
She couldn’t explain her appetence for solo travel — it was simply part of who she was.
Appetence comes from the Latin appetentia, derived from appetere — meaning “to strive after” or “to desire” — itself a combination of ad (“toward”) and petere (“to seek” or “to aim at”). The word entered English in the 17th century, used by philosophers and naturalists to describe instinctive drives in both humans and animals.
Fun Fact
Appetence was a favorite concept of early behavioral scientists who believed that all living creatures are governed by innate appetences — drives toward food, warmth, connection, and survival that operate below conscious thought. The word also appears in literary philosophy: German Romantic writers used the concept to explore the soul’s yearning for beauty and meaning, framing appetence not as simple hunger but as the deepest expression of what a being is naturally drawn toward.
Today's Word Idiosyncratic id-ee-oh-sin-KRAT-ik Definition (adjective) Relating to a distinctive...
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