From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englisheffronteryef‧fron‧te‧ry /ɪˈfrʌntəri/ noun [uncountable] formal RUDE/IMPOLITErude behaviour that shocks you because it is so confident SYN nervehave the effrontery to do something She had the effrontery to ask me for more money.
Examples from the Corpus
effrontery• The arrogant effrontery of the man defied belief.• He might even pray earnestly to Saint Winifred to protect him, he had the innocent effrontery for it.• Maybe effrontery would dismiss him as too negligible to pursue.• It was the sheer effrontery, the excessive assurance of them which got under my skin.Origin effrontery (1600-1700) French effronterie, from Late Latin effrons “shameless” 