1
as in disrespect
disrespectful or argumentative talk given in response to a command or request
a disciplinarian of the old school, he refused to tolerate any impertinence from his children
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in disrespectfulness
rude behavior
the impertinence of deliberately ignoring waiting customers while they finished their conversation
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in irrelevance
the quality or state of not having anything to do with the matter at hand
the impertinence of that issue renders any discussion of it a waste of our time
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of impertinence
This wasn't the first time one reduced me to spewing curses, just the first time a robot has accused me of impertinence.
—
Mark Phelan, USA Today, 29 Apr. 2025
The impertinence of the Kodak fiend has become a vast, invisible apparatus of computation that is perpetually grinding data from the grist of our daily affairs, and exploiting such information for all sorts of ends.
—Ben Tarnoff, The New Yorker, 5 Oct. 2024
Her highly English mix of impertinence, acerbic prose and class obsession turned the then-flailing magazine into a success.
—Michael M. Grynbaum, New York Times, 8 June 2024
Advertisement Gradually, though, like water dripping on a stone, Norm wore down their impertinence.
—Kevin Sherrington, Dallas News, 21 June 2023
See All Example Sentences for impertinence
Mark Phelan, USA Today, 29 Apr. 2025
The impertinence of the Kodak fiend has become a vast, invisible apparatus of computation that is perpetually grinding data from the grist of our daily affairs, and exploiting such information for all sorts of ends.
—Ben Tarnoff, The New Yorker, 5 Oct. 2024
Her highly English mix of impertinence, acerbic prose and class obsession turned the then-flailing magazine into a success.
—Michael M. Grynbaum, New York Times, 8 June 2024
Advertisement Gradually, though, like water dripping on a stone, Norm wore down their impertinence.
—Kevin Sherrington, Dallas News, 21 June 2023
See All Example Sentences for impertinence
Recent Examples of Synonyms for impertinence
Noun
-
The idea is a partial and symbolic sharing, and the purpose is to break the link between hard work and disrespect.—
Wyatt Williams,
Harpers Magazine,
2 June 2026
-
Historical novelists are often charged with disrespect and unseriousness, of ransacking the archives for sensational scenery to hang behind their conventional family sagas and love stories.—
Katy Waldman,
New Yorker,
1 June 2026
Noun
-
The real verdict will come from real users, and that's where this platform will either validate its promise or fade into irrelevance.—
Tim Bajarin,
Forbes.com,
27 May 2026
-
This is familiar territory for singular sports figures; think of how, over three seasons of 100 Foot Wave, big-wave surfer Garrett McNamara has opened up about his own vacillation between craving dominance and fearing irrelevance.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
7 May 2026
Noun
-
Turner, in her incendiary film debut, drapes Matty in haughty insolence, desperate unattainability, and seductive refinement.—
Kevin Jacobsen,
Entertainment Weekly,
14 Mar. 2026
-
As the argument grew heated, Sheikh Dibo could not believe the young foreigner’s insolence.—
Anand Gopal,
New Yorker,
28 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Comprising classmates Nilsson, Nutt, James Falconer, Suellen Rocca, Art Green, and Karl Wirsum, the Who held their first exhibition at Chicago’s Hyde Park Art Center in 1966, ushering a new mode of dank, bawdy rudeness into the city’s milieu.—
Jeremy Lybarger,
Artforum,
2 June 2026
-
But these days civility, much like rudeness, can ride a stream of shares and retweets to the far corners of the world.—
Bobby Ghosh,
Time,
1 June 2026
Noun
-
Defendants rely on cases that, ironically, only confirm the inapplicability of the § 1252(f)(1) bar here.—
New York Times,
New York Times,
2 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
Cronin has long toed the line of humor and impudence, appearing in social media clips all season.—
Aaron Heisen,
Daily News,
21 Feb. 2026
-
But such aesthetic impudence is par for the course at the kaleidoscopic seaside pleasure dome of architect Chet Callahan, his husband, finance executive Jacinto Hernandez, and their teenage sons, Hernan and Noe.—
Mayer Rus,
Architectural Digest,
12 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Impertinence.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/impertinence. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
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