impertinence

noun

im·​per·​ti·​nence (ˌ)im-ˈpər-tə-nən(t)s How to pronounce impertinence (audio)
-ˈpərt-nən(t)s
1
: the quality or state of being impertinent: such as
2
: an instance of impertinence

Examples of impertinence in a Sentence

a disciplinarian of the old school, he refused to tolerate any impertinence from his children the impertinence of deliberately ignoring waiting customers while they finished their conversation
Recent Examples on the Web Advertisement Gradually, though, like water dripping on a stone, Norm wore down their impertinence. Kevin Sherrington, Dallas News, 21 June 2023 Whew, that is some impertinence. Lance Eliot, Forbes, 7 Apr. 2021 To a raging narcissist a plan is an impertinence, a Lilliputian restraint on the inspired instincts of a giant. Fintan O’Toole, The New York Review of Books, 21 Dec. 2022 Of course the request seemed rude to Jean—in the sense that all work was an impertinence that placed her days in service to another. Hannah Gold, Harper’s Magazine , 26 Oct. 2022 His suggestion not to reply to the pronoun impertinence makes good sense. WSJ, 9 Feb. 2022 For her part, Ms. Pinkston likened the treatment Mr. Wright suffered on the job to the impertinence all restaurant servers endure, regardless of race. New York Times, 16 Aug. 2021 But Son seems more deeply affronted by the effortlessness of Justin’s existence than by the impertinence of his manner. Hua Hsu, The New Yorker, 26 July 2021 Slim glinted dangerously at her granddaughter and swallowed the girl’s impertinence up with a laugh. Lauren Groff, The New Yorker, 27 Apr. 2021

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'impertinence.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1582, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of impertinence was in 1582

Dictionary Entries Near impertinence

Cite this Entry

“Impertinence.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/impertinence. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

impertinence

noun
im·​per·​ti·​nence (ˈ)im-ˈpərt-ᵊn-ən(t)s How to pronounce impertinence (audio)
-ˈpərt-nən(t)s
1
: the quality or state of being impertinent
2
: a rude act or remark

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