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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of impertinence
To a raging narcissist a plan is an impertinence, a Lilliputian restraint on the inspired instincts of a giant.
—
Fintan O’Toole, The New York Review of Books, 21 Dec. 2022
Of course the request seemed rude to Jean—in the sense that all work was an impertinence that placed her days in service to another.
—Hannah Gold, Harper’s Magazine , 26 Oct. 2022
His suggestion not to reply to the pronoun impertinence makes good sense.
—WSJ, 9 Feb. 2022
For her part, Ms. Pinkston likened the treatment Mr. Wright suffered on the job to the impertinence all restaurant servers endure, regardless of race.
—New York Times, 16 Aug. 2021
See all Example Sentences for impertinence 
Fintan O’Toole, The New York Review of Books, 21 Dec. 2022
Of course the request seemed rude to Jean—in the sense that all work was an impertinence that placed her days in service to another.
—Hannah Gold, Harper’s Magazine , 26 Oct. 2022
His suggestion not to reply to the pronoun impertinence makes good sense.
—WSJ, 9 Feb. 2022
For her part, Ms. Pinkston likened the treatment Mr. Wright suffered on the job to the impertinence all restaurant servers endure, regardless of race.
—New York Times, 16 Aug. 2021
See all Example Sentences for impertinence
Recent Examples of Synonyms for impertinence
Noun
-
No disrespect to Sir Paul McCartney, but Dwayne Carter Jr. (a.k.a. Lil Wayne) clearly had the superior musical medley of the night.—
Andy Hoglund,
EW.com,
17 Feb. 2025
-
Public disrespect should be met with the most immediate public apology through the same medium.—
Emily Longeretta,
Variety,
11 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
He’s watched a program grow from irrelevance to national prominence.—
Bryce Miller,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
31 Jan. 2025
-
The team represents the Trump worldview: Traditional conservatism is dead — and its biggest, lifelong advocates neutered to the point of irrelevance.—
Axios,
Axios,
23 Nov. 2024
Noun
-
Still, the similarities are felt, stylistically and technically, in the collage-like form and the free manipulation of archival images—and, above all, in a shared sense of audacious yet exquisite aestheticism yoked to a strain of refined, resolute insolence.—
Richard Brody,
The New Yorker,
11 Dec. 2024
-
And despite Aegon’s insolence, neither Criston nor Aemond could have predicted that the king would show up to the fight drunk on dragonback before Aemond can arrive.—
Amanda Whiting,
Vulture,
7 July 2024
Noun
-
Even Sam, who hated conflict with a passion and preferred to let rudeness roll off her like water off the back of a duck, had a breaking point.—
Maureen Lee Lenker,
EW.com,
12 Feb. 2025
-
According to a LinkedIn article by Yves Laurent Khoury, public rudeness has become increasingly common, especially in high-stress environments like customer service or public spaces.—
Anders Fogh Rasmussen,
Newsweek,
5 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
But it’s got impudence and élan, and a feeling for life on the margins of English society.—
Dwight Garner,
New York Times,
20 Jan. 2025
-
Such calls for regulatory actions against short sellers are all based on the assumption that short selling is nefarious — that daring to take a negative view of a company’s stock is tantamount to market manipulation, especially if the short sellers have the impudence to publicize their viewpoint.—
Michael Hiltzik,
Los Angeles Times,
31 May 2023
Thesaurus Entries Near impertinence
Cite this Entry
“Impertinence.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/impertinence. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share