importunate

adjective

im·por·tu·nate | \im-ˈpȯr-chə-nət,

-tyu̇-nət\

Definition of importunate

1 : troublesomely urgent : overly persistent in request or demand importunate creditors

2 : troublesome

Other Words from importunate Synonyms & Antonyms Did You Know? More Example Sentences Learn More about importunate

Keep scrolling for more

Did You Know?

Importunate has been part of the English language since the 16th century, and the synonymous "importune" arrived even earlier, in the 15th century. The seemingly superfluous inclusion of the suffix -ate in "importunate" is a bit mysterious; one theory is that English speakers modeled the adjective after words like "obstinate." "Importune" and "importunate" come from Latin importunus. The prefix im- means "not," and "importunus" can be contrasted with Latin opportunus, which shares its meaning with and is the ancestor of our opportune, meaning "suitable or timely." (The connection is obscure now, but "opportunus" itself harks back to the Latin phrase ob portum, meaning "[coming] to harbor.") "Importune," and later "importunate," once meant "inopportune, untimely," but that sense is now obsolete.

Examples of importunate in a Sentence

the demands of the chairmanship were becoming too importunate for me to continue without an assistant

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about importunate

Listen to Our Podcast about importunate

Theme music by Joshua Stamper ©2006 New Jerusalem Music/ASCAP

Dictionary Entries near importunate

imported fire ant

Statistics for importunate

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for importunate

The first known use of importunate was in the 15th century

See more words from the same century

Keep scrolling for more

More Definitions for importunate

importunate

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of importunate

: making repeated or annoying requests or demands

: causing annoyance or trouble

See the full definition for importunate in the English Language Learners Dictionary

Keep scrolling for more

Comments on importunate

What made you want to look up importunate? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

WORD OF THE DAY

nary

not any or not one

Test Your Vocabulary

Great Scrabble Words—A Quiz

Which of the following Q-without-U words means the number five in cards or dice?

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?

TAKE THE QUIZ

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games