Gumption
What it means
Practical courage and initiative used to tackle something difficult.
Reach for it when praising bold resourceful action, especially in informal speech
It took gumption to turn the empty shop into a community kitchen.
Words to choose between 7
| playful |
|
|---|---|
| warm | |
| professional | |
| formal | |
| literary |
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playful
Fits when energetic self-starting character deserves informal praise
Careful The phrase can trivialize careful preparation or structural barriers.
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playful
Fits when boldness under social or practical pressure is central
Careful Nerve can describe impudence or reckless risk as readily as courage.
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warm
spirit
Fits when lively resolve animates the person's response
Careful Spirit is broad and gives little information about practical action.
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professional
Fits when someone acts usefully without waiting for instructions
Careful Initiative can be routine and does not necessarily require courage.
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professional
Fits when clever use of limited means makes the action succeed
Careful Resourcefulness may solve a problem quietly without the daring implied by gumption.
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formal
Fits when bold organized effort creates a new undertaking
Careful Enterprise is larger in scale and can imply business activity.
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literary
pluck
Fits when cheerful courage in adversity suits a traditional tone
Careful Pluck sounds dated and can patronize someone facing serious hardship.
Opposites 3
- timidity
- passivity
- helplessness
Common phrases 3
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show gumption
The apprentices showed gumption by proposing a safer sequence.
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take gumption
It will take gumption to challenge the familiar but wasteful process.
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real gumption
Her real gumption appeared when the first plan failed.
Definitions and examples are written for this site. How words are chosen Recording: recorded by Dvortygirl, American accent, from Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 Updated