Meanings
comparative more impertinent · superlative most impertinent
- Insolent, ill-mannered or disrespectful; Disregardful.
“Divine receptacle of excellence, let it not be deemed impertinent, or deviating from the rules of propriety, if I propound one queſtion which now labours in my breaſt; aſſuring me firſt, you will not let the ſceptre of true judgment depart from your right hand.”
1769, Firishta, translated by Alexander Dow, Tales translated from the Persian of Inatulla of Delhi, volume I, Dublin: P. and W. Wilson et al., page 11 - archaicNot pertaining or related to (something or someone); Irrelevant or useless.
How impertinent that grief was which served no end!
1651, Jer[emy] Taylor, The Rule and Exercises of Holy Living. […], 2nd edition, London: […] Francis Ashe […], →OCLC1 more example
Curious speculations, and the contemplation of things that are impertinent to us, and do not concern us, nor serve to promote our happiness, are but a more specious and ingenious sort of idleness
1664, John Tillotson, “Sermon I. The Wisdom of Being Religious. Job XXVIII. 28.”, in The Works of the Most Reverend Dr. John Tillotson, Late Lord Archbishop of Canterbury: […], London: […] B. Aylmer, […]; [a]nd W. Rogers, […], published 1696, →OCLCSynonyms: nonpertinent · Antonyms: pertinent, relevant
plural impertinents
- An impertinent individual.
Get near fat Mr. Dutton, and behind the screen of his prodigious elbow, you will be comfortably recessed from curious impertinents.
1808 (date written), [Maria] Edgeworth, “Manœuvring. Chapter XII.”, in Tales of Fashionable Life, volume III, London: […] [S. Hamilton] for J[oseph] Johnson, […], published 1809, →OCLC, page 292
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectiveNot pertaining or related to (something or someone); Irrelevant or useless.
More synonyms by meaning
adjectivecharacterized by a lightly pert and exuberant quality
adjectivenot pertinent to the matter under consideration
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latinimpertinēns
- Old Frenchimpertinent
- Middle Frenchimpertinent
- Middle Englishimpertinent
- Englishimpertinent
Inherited from Middle English impertinent, from Middle French impertinent, from Old French impertinent, from Latin impertinēns; by surface analysis, im- + pertinent.
More words from Middle English, Middle French, Old French
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian нагъл, нахален
- нагъл (nagăl)insolent, ill-mannered
- нахален (nahalen)insolent, ill-mannered
- неуместен, неподходящ (neumesten, nepodhodjašt)irrelevant
Catalan impertinent
- impertinentinsolent, ill-mannered
Czech nestydatý, drzý
- nestydatýinsolent, ill-mannered
- drzýinsolent, ill-mannered
- impertinentníinsolent, ill-mannered
- nemístnýirrelevant
Danish uforskammet, uvedkommende
- uforskammetinsolent, ill-mannered
- uvedkommendeirrelevant
- irrelevantirrelevant
Dutch impertinent, irrelevant
- impertinentinsolent, ill-mannered
- irrelevantirrelevant
Esperanto impertinenta, malrespekta
- impertinentainsolent, ill-mannered
- malrespektainsolent, ill-mannered
Finnish asiaton, epärelevantti
- asiatoninsolent, ill-mannered
- epärelevanttiirrelevant
- asiaankuulumatonirrelevant
German unverschämt, impertinent
- unverschämtinsolent, ill-mannered
- impertinentinsolent, ill-mannered
- irrelevantirrelevant
- unwichtigirrelevant
Greek αγενής
- αγενής (agenís)insolent, ill-mannered
Hungarian szemtelen, szégyentelen
- szemteleninsolent, ill-mannered
- szégyenteleninsolent, ill-mannered
- arcátlaninsolent, ill-mannered
- durcásinsolent, ill-mannered
- pofátlaninsolent, ill-mannered
- lényegtelenirrelevant
Irish brusanta, dosartha
- brusantainsolent, ill-mannered
- dosarthainsolent, ill-mannered
- sonntainsolent, ill-mannered
- tagrachinsolent, ill-mannered
- soibealtainsolent, ill-mannered
Italian impertinente, sfacciato
- impertinenteinsolent, ill-mannered
- sfacciatoinsolent, ill-mannered
Latin procax
- procaxinsolent, ill-mannered
Māori whakatīkai
- whakatīkaiinsolent, ill-mannered
Polish bezczelny, arogancki
- bezczelnyinsolent, ill-mannered
- aroganckiinsolent, ill-mannered
- bezwstydnyinsolent, ill-mannered
- hucpiarskiinsolent, ill-mannered
- impertynenckiinsolent, ill-mannered
- tupeciarskiinsolent, ill-mannered
- zuchwałyinsolent, ill-mannered
- niestosownyirrelevant
- niemający związkuirrelevant
Portuguese impertinente
- impertinenteinsolent, ill-mannered
Romanian impertinent
- impertinentirrelevant
Russian де́рзкий, наха́льный
- де́рзкий (dérzkij)insolent, ill-mannered
- наха́льный (naxálʹnyj)insolent, ill-mannered
- на́глый (náglyj)insolent, ill-mannered
- неуме́стный (neuméstnyj)irrelevant
- неподходя́щий (nepodxodjáščij)irrelevant
- неотнося́щийся (neotnosjáščijsja)irrelevant
Slovak impertinentný, bezočivý
- impertinentnýinsolent, ill-mannered
- bezočivýinsolent, ill-mannered
- irelevantnýirrelevant
- nepodstatnýirrelevant
Spanish impertinente, maleducado
- impertinenteinsolent, ill-mannered
- maleducadoinsolent, ill-mannered
Swedish uppstudsig, oförskämd
- uppstudsiginsolent, ill-mannered
- oförskämdinsolent, ill-mannered
- näsvisinsolent, ill-mannered
- impertinentinsolent, ill-mannered
- ovidkommandeirrelevant
- irrelevantirrelevant
Tagalog balaugi
- balaugiinsolent, ill-mannered
Thai ไร้มารยาท, ไร้ยางอาย
- ไร้มารยาทinsolent, ill-mannered
- ไร้ยางอายinsolent, ill-mannered
Turkish yüzsüz, alakasız
- yüzsüzinsolent, ill-mannered
- alakasızirrelevant
Cite this entry
impertinent. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/impertinent
“impertinent.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/impertinent. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “impertinent,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/impertinent.
Source: impertinent on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.