hardihood means unyielding boldness and daring; firmness in doing something that exposes one to difficulty, danger, or calamity; intrepidness.
Why “hardihood” is a great word
Hardihood is a state of unyielding boldness and daring, especially in the face of difficulty or danger. From hardy (meaning "bold, brave, or tough") and the suffix -hood (denoting a state or condition). Unlike "temerity," which suggests a rash and reckless flouting of danger, or "hardiness," which emphasizes physical toughness and endurance, hardihood is the resolute, enduring courage of the mind. It is the set jaw of the climber at twenty thousand feet, the deliberate step taken into the shadowed wood, and the quiet refusal to bow one's head when the wind howls its loudest—a steadfast fire that burns on when all other lights go out.
Etymology
From hardy + -hood. Compare Dutch hardigheid (“hardness, callousness”), German Hartigkeit (“hardness”).
noun
- Unyielding boldness and daring; firmness in doing something that exposes one to difficulty, danger, or calamity; intrepidness.
- Excessive boldness; foolish daring; offensive assurance.
- Of a plant, an ability to withstand extreme conditions, hardiness.e.g.“The cheapness and hardihood of the musk-plant and marigold, to say nothing of their peculiar odour, has made them the most popular of “roots” […]”
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.