as in insolent
displaying or marked by rude boldness
the guest's impudent inquiries about the cost of just about everything we had in the house
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Recent Examples of impudent
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
One chord appears to speak to the other, sounding almost impudent in their simplicity, equal parts ecstatic and heartbreakingly melancholic.
—Sam Davies, Rolling Stone, 10 Mar. 2025
More specifically, the impudent Skull Kid steals the Ocarina of Time and turns Link into a Deku Scrub, those antagonistic tree cannons first introduced in Ocarina.
—Ashley Bardhan, Vulture, 27 Sep. 2024
Lisa is often out of the house and in motion: roaming the aisles of a pharmacy that’s open late and where no one seems to be working; on a bus contending with impudent youths; breaking the rules at a sleep clinic; wasted and lost after a bachelorette party.
—Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 22 Sep. 2023
In short, Moscow sees Montenegro as both strategically valuable and an impudent upstart that has thumbed its nose at the Russian bear while genuflecting before NATO and Washington.
—Edward P. Joseph, Foreign Affairs, 22 Dec. 2016
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
One chord appears to speak to the other, sounding almost impudent in their simplicity, equal parts ecstatic and heartbreakingly melancholic.
—Sam Davies, Rolling Stone, 10 Mar. 2025
More specifically, the impudent Skull Kid steals the Ocarina of Time and turns Link into a Deku Scrub, those antagonistic tree cannons first introduced in Ocarina.
—Ashley Bardhan, Vulture, 27 Sep. 2024
Lisa is often out of the house and in motion: roaming the aisles of a pharmacy that’s open late and where no one seems to be working; on a bus contending with impudent youths; breaking the rules at a sleep clinic; wasted and lost after a bachelorette party.
—Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 22 Sep. 2023
In short, Moscow sees Montenegro as both strategically valuable and an impudent upstart that has thumbed its nose at the Russian bear while genuflecting before NATO and Washington.
—Edward P. Joseph, Foreign Affairs, 22 Dec. 2016
Recent Examples of Synonyms for impudent
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
-
Our colleague Jason Zengerle knew him as a young wise-guy reporter who leaned, maybe, center right.—
David Remnick,
New Yorker,
6 Feb. 2026
-
Numbers-wise, Deadline reported earlier that the ceremony will include 3,500 athletes and more than 1,300 performers, feature 182 original designs, more than 1,400 costumes and 1,500 pairs of shoes, with 110 make-up artists and 70 hair stylists working behind the scenes.—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
6 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Or perhaps Raimi is just kicking it back to his more brazen early years as a director.—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
31 Jan. 2026
-
In a particularly brazen flouting of traffic laws, one Waymo allegedly drove near the students who were disembarking from the bus.—
Frank Landymore,
Futurism,
29 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
This showstopper of a dessert mashes up the bold caffeinated flavors of classic tiramisu with the perfectly wobbly, creamy perfection of panna cotta.—
Jesse Szewczyk,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Making a monetization limitations promise up front is a bold move as a small indie studio, but that is one way in which Wildlight plans to differentiate itself from other video game developers.—
Jennifer Maas,
Variety,
26 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
As well as cheeky possums and young kestrels readying to make their first flight, this year’s gallery also includes images that ask bigger questions about the human impact on the planet.—
Charlotte Reck,
CNN Money,
4 Feb. 2026
-
A bit left-field and very cheeky.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
4 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
That your answer is not believed by these nosy, impertinent people is insulting.—
Judith Martin,
Mercury News,
19 Dec. 2025
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Every player was given a number and slips of paper and wrote impertinent questions intended for each of the others.—
Michael Schulman,
New Yorker,
15 Dec. 2025
Adjective
-
But his new-Dior vibe this year felt fresh and unexpectedly cool—a more casual approach to awards season dressing, though still refined.—
Christian Allaire,
Vogue,
2 Feb. 2026
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Renowned for its chocolate, fresh Alpine air, and stunning natural beauty, Switzerland simply does things well—but at a cost.—
Madeline Weinfield,
Travel + Leisure,
1 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Bassel stands at the center of the frame, looking cocky and slightly bored, with his parents seated in front of him and his siblings on either side.—
Robert F. Worth,
The Atlantic,
6 Feb. 2026
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Their roles are reversed when O’Brien’s cocky, young CEO must look to McAdams’ strategic planning and survival know-how to stay alive.—
Jordan Moreau,
Variety,
30 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Impudent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/impudent. Accessed 8 Feb. 2026.
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