1
as in wise
displaying or marked by rude boldness
the impertinent child had a smart answer for everything
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in rude
showing a lack of manners or consideration for others
impertinent salesmen who telephone people during the dinner hour
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in irrelevant
not having anything to do with the matter at hand
your résumé needlessly lists skills that are impertinent to the job for which you are applying
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of impertinent
For three long weeks that began to seem rude or impertinent, as if the Prize hadn’t been announced, as if a king and queen weren’t waiting for his answer, Dylan said nothing about the award.
—
Literary Hub, 28 Oct. 2025
Questions about the overheating of the American economy were brushed aside as impertinent.
—Arancha González Laya, Foreign Affairs, 12 May 2025
But people all around us ask impertinent questions all the time.
—Harriette Cole, The Mercury News, 14 Mar. 2025
There this brilliant but bewildered scientist gets cornered by a plutocrat with impertinent questions.
—Alan Scherstuhl, Scientific American, 15 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for impertinent
Literary Hub, 28 Oct. 2025
Questions about the overheating of the American economy were brushed aside as impertinent.
—Arancha González Laya, Foreign Affairs, 12 May 2025
But people all around us ask impertinent questions all the time.
—Harriette Cole, The Mercury News, 14 Mar. 2025
There this brilliant but bewildered scientist gets cornered by a plutocrat with impertinent questions.
—Alan Scherstuhl, Scientific American, 15 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for impertinent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for impertinent
Adjective
-
Time-wise, utilizing multiple fields can potentially be more efficient to getting off the field quickly.—
Evan Grant,
Dallas Morning News,
21 Feb. 2026
-
The Galaxy will be wise not to overwork Reus this season.—
Damian Calhoun,
Daily News,
21 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The deranged demeanor accompanying her rude responses under oath deserves an Oscar nomination in the cringe and horror categories.—
DP Opinion,
Denver Post,
21 Feb. 2026
-
But there are also things that are just kind of, 'Well, that’s rude.—
Emma Banks,
InStyle,
20 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
That's almost irrelevant, though, LaFrance adds.—
Angela Haupt,
Time,
13 Feb. 2026
-
An education is practically irrelevant.—
Letters to the Editor,
The Orlando Sentinel,
13 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Gemma reluctantly agrees to rebuild her impudent robot in a new body, and the sequel ends with an explosive showdown between Amelia and M3GAN, who nearly dies in a noble attempt to save Gemma and her niece, Cady (Violet McGraw).—
Patrick Ryan,
USA Today,
29 June 2025
-
Fortunately, Snow White’s newfound enlightenment does not deny her the possibility of romance, although princes are now strictly off-limits; her love interest here is a fetchingly impudent bandit, Jonathan (Andrew Burnap), who is leading a scrappy rebellion against the Evil Queen.—
Justin Chang,
The New Yorker,
22 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Malinin’s confidence would be insolent if his acrobatics weren’t so astonishing.—
Sally Jenkins,
The Atlantic,
1 Feb. 2026
-
The fox would once have crushed this insolent creature with a swipe of her paw.—
Hazlitt,
Hazlitt,
19 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
Still, the administration's support for glyphosate is disrespectful of the MAHA movement, said Ken Cook, president and co-founder of the advocacy nonprofit Environmental Working Group.—
Eduardo Cuevas,
USA Today,
21 Feb. 2026
-
Veronique Yang, who leads BCG’s consumer practice in Greater China, said literal interpretations can come across as lazy or even disrespectful to Chinese consumers.—
Hayley Cuccinello,
CNBC,
14 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
But his Rainbow Coalition, a bold alliance of Blacks, Whites, Latinos, Asian Americans, Native Americans and LGBTQ people, helped pave the way for a more progressive Democratic Party.—
John Blake,
CNN Money,
17 Feb. 2026
-
The movies that would be honored here, by contrast, were bolder than the Spirits usually go, resulting in a truly independent raft of winners.—
Film Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
16 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Was Guarino’s performance a brazen bit of product placement?—
Sara Germano,
Sportico.com,
11 Feb. 2026
-
The brazen assassination in 2017 of Valdez — a tireless chronicler of cartel violence and politicians’ links to organized crime — sparked international condemnation.—
Foreign Correspondent,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Impertinent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/impertinent. Accessed 22 Feb. 2026.
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