Definition

Noun: * Extreme self-confidence or audacity; shameless boldness: "Chutzpah" refers to a remarkable, often shocking, level of nerve or gall. It describes behavior that is so brazenly confident that it disregards normal social conventions, respect, or humility. The word often carries a tone of both disapproval and a grudging admiration for the sheer audacity of the act.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:
  • It took a lot of chutzpah for him to ask for a promotion after only two weeks on the job.
  • She had the chutzpah to criticize the chef's cooking while dining as his guest.
  • You've got to admire his chutzpah for walking into the meeting uninvited and taking charge.

Advanced Usage

• "To have chutzpah": This is the most common construction, used to state that someone possesses this quality.
  • You need chutzpah to succeed in that industry.
• "The chutzpah to do something": This pattern specifies the audacious action.
  • I can't believe the chutzpah she had to ask for my notes after skipping every lecture.

Variants and Related Words

• Chutzpa (noun): An alternative, less common spelling of "chutzpah". The meaning is identical.
• Hutzpah (noun): Another occasional variant spelling.

Synonyms

• Audacity: Boldness or daring, especially with confident disregard for personal risk or conventional thought.
• Gall: Insolent boldness, often with a stronger sense of rudeness and offensiveness.
• Nerve: Informal term for cool confidence and boldness.
• Boldness: The quality of being fearless and willing to take risks.
• Impudence: The quality of being offensively bold or disrespectful.

Idioms and Phrases

• "Chutzpah is that quality enshrined in a man who, having killed his mother and father, throws himself on the mercy of the court because he is an orphan.": This classic joke is often cited as the archetypal definition of "chutzpah," illustrating its essence as audacity mixed with shamelessness.

Noun

1. (Yiddish) unbelievable gall; insolence; audacity