intrepidity

From intrepid +‎ -ity.

intrepidity (countable and uncountable, plural intrepidities)

1. The quality of being intrepid; bravery.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:courage

   Antonyms: see Thesaurus:cowardice

   • 1751, [Tobias] Smollett, “He is Concerned in a Dangerous Adventure with a Certain Gardener; […]”, in The Adventures of Peregrine Pickle […], volumes (please specify |volume=I to IV), London: Harrison and Co., […], →OCLC, page 49, column 1:

     [...] Pipes, who acted as the enemy's forlorn hope, advanced to the gate with great intrepidity, and clapping his foot to the door, which was none of the ſtouteſt, with the execution and diſpatch of a petard, ſplit it into a thouſand pieces.

   • 1813 January 27, [Jane Austen], chapter VI, in Pride and Prejudice: […], volume I, London: […] [George Sidney] for T[homas] Egerton, […], →OCLC, pages 57–58:

     Miss Bingley immediately fixed her eyes on his face, and desired he would tell her what lady had the credit of inspiring such reflections. Mr. Darcy replied with great intrepidity, "Miss Elizabeth Bennet."

   • 1852 July, Herman Melville, “Book XXIV. Lucy at the Apostles’.”, in Pierre: Or, The Ambiguities, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers, […], →OCLC, section IV, page 445:

     The pale, inscrutable determinateness, and flinchless intrepidity of Pierre, now began to domineer upon them; for any social unusualness or greatness is sometimes most impressive in the retrospect.

   • 1886 October – 1887 January, H[enry] Rider Haggard, “Triumph”, in She: A History of Adventure, London: Longmans, Green, and Co., published 1887, →OCLC, page 226:

     And then I think I saw the most tremendous exhibition of moral courage and intrepidity that it is possible to conceive.

   • 1907, Henry James, “Preface”, in The American (The Novels and Tales of Henry James; II), New York edition, New York, N.Y.: Charles Scribner’s Sons, →OCLC, page xvii:

     [T]here are common and covert ones [dangers], that "look like nothing" and that can be but inwardly and occultly dealt with, which involve the sharpest hazards to life and honour and the highest instant decisions and intrepidities of action.

• intrepid
• intrepidness
• trepidation