Here is a list of synonyms that describe the quality of Moxie.
Courage, adventuresomeness, adventurousness, audacity, backbone, boldness, braveness, bravery, daring, dash, dauntlessness, determination, fearlessness, fortitude, gameness, grit, guts, hardihood, mettle, nerve, pluck, prowess, spirit, spunk, stamina, tenacity, toughness, valor.
As you can see there are quite a few words in the English language that dwell on and describe the quality of moxie.The word "snow" only has one! So what is moxie?
According to Dictionary.com Moxie has 3 distinct interpretations.
mox·ie [mok-see]
noun Slang - .
1.vigor; verve; pep.
2.courage and aggressiveness; nerve.
3.skill; know-how.
So this is interesting. Moxie, the quality, has three distinct meanings, not just one. The first refers to the quality of having an up beat attitude and demeanor. One can show moxie without acting in a "moxie like" manner. So, the first stage of having the quality of moxie is to display the qualities of moxie or verve. This is considered a high standard leadership quality.
The second meaning of moxie is the quality of showing courage or "nerve" which would indicate that this second meaning has to do with the act of facing some adversity. After all, why do you need courage unless there is a threat to face. So the second meaning emphasizes the ability to face a negative situation and ACT in a fearless manner.
This third meaning is the most interesting, that moxie has a third meaning pertaining to skill and "know-how" Skill and "know-how" are empowerment terms. They indicate an ability to overcome adversity. What does this mean? Well, if you were faced with an ordeal in your life, that you felt incapable of handling, then having moxie would be much more difficult. Acting in a moxie-like manner, therefore, is based around skill and "know-how" The same ordeal would not be a difficulty, if you were prepared with the skills and abilities to overcome it.
Moxie has 3 distinct conceptual meanings. however the three combined give us a picture of what moxie really means and how to get it.
Which comes first? A brilliant idea or solution that comes out of nowhere? Or the moxie attitude that gives rise to it in the first place? It would seem they are interchangeable. Having some knowledge and skills would give one an attitude of moxie-ness to begin with, however, self belief and confidence give rise to that same skill and knowhow!
