Temerity, Timidity

Prune out the small words that qualify how you feel and how you think and what you saw: “a bit,” “a little,” “kind of,” “rather,” “quite,” “very,” “too,” “pretty much,” “in a sense” and dozens more. They dilute your style and your persuasiveness.

Don’t say you were a bit confused and sort of tired and a little depressed and somewhat annoyed. Be confused. Be tired. Be depressed. Be annoyed. Don’t hedge your prose with little timidities.

Good writing is lean and confident.’ –On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Nonfiction by William Zinsser
William Zinsser is instructing the readers to write well: don’t use those timidities refer to those hesitancies…not quite sure (instead of – I am not sure), I am quite late, sorry (I’m late, sorry).

Temerity is a noun. Temerity means audacity, rashness, fearless, and daring, showing hardiness towards something – such as towards fear.

They had the temerity to threaten to wage a war.

Barack Obama demonstrated his temerity by standing up against Hilary Clinton for the Democratic Party’s nomination as the presidential candidate.

Temeritous is an adjective meaning someone displaying audacity, contempt for danger, displaying disdain for danger.

“He had the unique opportunity to watch Conina fight. Not many men ever got to see it twice. Her opponents started off grinning at the temerity of a slight young girl attacking them...” –Discworld novel – Sourcery by Terry Pratchett

Temerity is derived from Latin word temeritatem meaning blind chance, accident, foolhardiness.

Timid is an adjective. Timid means showing fear towards something or someone, lack of confidence in himself or herself, diffident, unsure about doing something, lacking conviction, not courageous.

Why are you so timid? Shed your timid outlook, and take up the challenge of learning a new skill.

Life is also a bed of thorns: but thorns turn to roses when you one sheds timidity.

Are you a timid person or have the temerity to test new things?

People with temerity dare to step into the unknown and inexperienced territories of life.

Timid means easily frightened.

Another distinct meaning of Timid is shy.

The etymology of timid is traced to Old French meaning shy, easily frightened but in French it came from Medieval Latin.

She is as timid as a rabbit.

Timid also functions as noun: skydiving and scuba diving are not for the timid.

The derivatives of timid (timider, timidest) are timidly (adverb), timidity and timidness (nouns), and timidous is an obsolete form of adjective.

How to overcome timidity? Analyse the reason for timidity, and attack it: Your timidity will replaced with temerity.