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sauciness

sauciness

1 7.0
Bold playful behaviour that is a little rude
  • noun
  • /ˈsɔːsi.nəs/
  • Informal
translation icon : descaro
  • His sauciness was evident when he jokingly challenged the teacher's rules during class.

Examples

  • The comedian's sauciness kept the audience laughing, as he playfully teased everyone in the room.

  • A real sauciness that l find extremely attractive.

  • And, being intercepted in your sport, great reason that my noble lord be rated for sauciness.

  • At first, his conversation betrayed a sauciness and familiarity, which is my aversion.

  • We've got liquid, we've got sauciness in this thing that sounds that's hey, it's, it's ready to serve.

  • But servants were also warned far more often against displaying "sauciness" and "sullenness" in their demeanor and talk with their masters than youth were in regard to their parents.

    Academic text (1994)
  • All sullenness, all sauciness, all impudence in your deportment towards your masters (or mistresses) is to be abominated.

    Academic text (1994)
  • Her sauciness often caught him by surprise, making their conversations lively and entertaining.

Synonyms

impertinence
vssauciness
7 8.1

Rude behavior or remarks that show a lack of respect

can be playful or cheeky as well as merely disrespectful
brashness
vssauciness
3 6.8

A way of acting that is too bold, loud, and rude

is similar in rudeness but usually more playful and less blunt
sassiness
vssauciness
  • Informal
1 5.2

Bold, lively words or actions that can seem rude

is the same playful boldness but slightly more commonly cheeky
cheekiness
vssauciness
  • Informal
1 5.8

A bold, slightly rude way of speaking or acting that is playful and shows little respect

is similar but can feel a touch more daring or bold
gaminess
vssauciness
  • NSFW
1 9.5

Bold language or behavior that is slightly rude and may shock people

leans more toward playful disrespect than explicit risqué content
pertness
vssauciness
  • Informal
8.2

A lively, confident way of speaking or behaving that is slightly cheeky

is like this but may be a bit more disrespectful
puckishness
vssauciness
8.8

A playful, teasing way of behaving that surprises people

is more about bold disrespect as well as playful mischief
archness
vssauciness
9.1

Playful, slightly cheeky teasing that makes people smile

is bolder and more openly disrespectful rather than just sly teasing
spiciness
vssauciness
  • NSFW
5.0

A bold, slightly rude style that amuses people

is more about cheeky boldness than being mildly indecent
raciness
vssauciness
  • NSFW
8.1

A lively quality that makes jokes slightly sexual or rude

focuses more on bold cheekiness than on sexual suggestion

Antonyms

7 5.8

Feeling too shy or afraid to try new things

Polite and kind behavior toward other people's feelings and wishes

How Saucy

audacity
47 6.0
impudence
8 7.7
sauciness
  • Informal
1 7.0
playfulness
8 2.5
reserve
9 5.2

Surface Forms

sauciness singular
saucinesses plural

Morphology

sauciness = saucy (transparent) = saucy + ness

Formed by the regular nominalizing suffix '-ness' from the adjective 'saucy', so the noun denotes the quality of being saucy.

Etymology

Sauciness comes from the older word saucy, which meant 'full of sauce' because sauce was used to talk about 'bold' or 'cheeky' behaviour. So sauciness is like being 'spicy' in speech, playful, bold, and a little rude.