Gumption
Definition, Meaning & Examples
Pronunciation /ˈɡʌmpʃən/ · Part of speech noun
Quick meaning: Gumption is a noun meaning (UK, Ireland) Common sense, initiative, resourcefulness.
Meaning
(UK, Ireland) Common sense, initiative, resourcefulness.
More Meanings
- (US) Boldness of enterprise; aggressiveness or initiative.
- (US) Energy of body and mind, enthusiasm.
Example Sentences
Gumption, or rum gumption, docility, comprehenſion, capacity.
Whatever the job turned out to be, if it went against her gumptions, she would make sure Gregory would have hell on his hands and make him eager to release her from the deal.
As a balance to genius, which is ideally creative, gumption is required to control, to direct. […] Gumption is the power to realize the poetical worth of common sense. Without that power no man was ever truly great.
A person filled with gumption doesn't sit around dissipating and stewing about things. He's at the front of the train of his own awareness, watching to see what's up the track and meeting it when it comes. That's gumption.
Word Forms
- gumptions
Synonyms for gumption
Depending on context, synonyms include gumph, chutzpah, gump, spunk, sense, grit.
Related Words
Related dictionary entries include common sense, sense, grit, sand, backbone, nerve.
Related Dictionary Tools
Sources & Attribution
FreeDictionaryAPI.com / Wiktionary · Original source · CC BY-SA 4.0
Dictionary data is provided by FreeDictionaryAPI.com and sourced from Wiktionary under its stated license.