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Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective impertinent contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of impertinent are intrusive, meddlesome, obtrusive, and officious. While all these words mean "given to thrusting oneself into the affairs of others," impertinent implies exceeding the bounds of propriety in showing interest or curiosity or in offering advice.

resented their impertinent interference

When can intrusive be used instead of impertinent?

The meanings of intrusive and impertinent largely overlap; however, intrusive implies a tactless or otherwise objectionable thrusting into others' affairs.

tried to be helpful without being intrusive

When would meddlesome be a good substitute for impertinent?

In some situations, the words meddlesome and impertinent are roughly equivalent. However, meddlesome stresses an annoying and usually prying interference in others' affairs.

a meddlesome landlord

In what contexts can obtrusive take the place of impertinent?

The synonyms obtrusive and impertinent are sometimes interchangeable, but obtrusive stresses improper or offensive conspicuousness of interfering actions.

expressed an obtrusive concern for his safety

When could officious be used to replace impertinent?

The words officious and impertinent are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, officious implies the offering of services or attentions that are unwelcome or annoying.

officious friends made the job harder

Examples 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 impertinent Starting out as a stand-up in her native Detroit and then getting her big break on Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In in 1969, Tomlin, now 84, invented iconic characters — from Ernestine, an impertinent telephone operator, to Edith Ann, a precocious 5-year-old — both absurd and sweet but undeniably human. Jason Sheeler, Peoplemag, 30 May 2024 Beyond the Biennale, Christoph Büchel’s frenzied exhibition at the Fondazione Prada assembles mountains of junk and jewels into an impertinent exposé of wealth and debt, colonialism and collecting. Jason Farago, New York Times, 24 Apr. 2024 The initial inquiry about aftershave was impertinent and, as it was delivered to the whole room, could simply have been ignored. Jacobina Martin, Washington Post, 17 Apr. 2024 The third season of Slow Horses, Apple TV+’s magnificent, impertinent spy series, begins with a feint: two lovers chasing state secrets in Istanbul, followed by a thrilling boat chase across the Bosphorus that turns into a car chase that ends in tragedy. Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 20 Dec. 2023 See all Example Sentences for impertinent 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for impertinent
Adjective
  • For example, tying the knot on the same weekend as the Super Bowl in the city where the event is taking place may not be wise, as hotel availability will likely be limited and room rates may be much higher than normal.
    Metro Creative Services, Boston Herald, 19 Jan. 2025
  • Back then, wise Israelis counseled that to remain an occupying power over an understandably angry people was not only morally repugnant, but could erode Israel's own society.
    Max Rodenbeck, TIME, 17 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • The Joella deluge begins when Lana calls her out at the beginning of the episode for being rude during Untucked about her song.
    Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 17 Jan. 2025
  • To chastise you for attending to his mistake and then act as though your laundry were now tainted is rude and hypocritical.
    Judith Martin, The Mercury News, 17 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • The reasoning is irrelevant; the curfew is non-negotiable.
    Mark Travers, Forbes, 19 Jan. 2025
  • The lawyer also argued that his client’s conduct that day is irrelevant to his travel request.
    Michael Kunzelman, Los Angeles Times, 18 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • 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
  • 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
Adjective
  • The officers weren't rude, angry, or insolent — as required of a battery conviction — and used their training and legal authority to do their jobs.
    Ryan Murphy, The Indianapolis Star, 2 Dec. 2024
  • Her subversive and dominating personality, and sometimes insolent rhetoric in her active X presence set her apart from the likes of other female AI chatbots, such as Siri whose aim is to assist and serve.
    Fatemeh Fannizadeh, Forbes, 18 Oct. 2024
Adjective
  • Fifty years ago, some Catholic leaders were wiser and bolder.
    Celia Viggo Wexler, New York Daily News, 25 Jan. 2025
  • Not meant to be taken literally, the twist after a shocking act violence reads like the materialization of Ali’s desire to be a bolder, more stereotypically masculine iteration of himself.
    Carlos Aguilar, Variety, 25 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • High-profile mass shootings at the Crown Center shopping center and the Chiefs Super Bowl victory rally at Union Station heralded a violent start to the year for Kansas City in 2024, shocking the public with their brazen nature and widespread impact.
    Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 17 Jan. 2025
  • In a brazen daylight carjacking, a 76-year-old Cornelius man was robbed of his SUV and $1,000 in cash while filling up at a Lake Norman-area QuikTrip on Monday, police said.
    Joe Marusak, Charlotte Observer, 16 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • The cocky decision will have unnerving ramifications.
    Carlos Aguilar, Los Angeles Times, 20 Jan. 2025
  • But get used to me — black, confident, cocky; my name, not yours; my religion, not yours; my goals, my own.
    Mikal Gilmore, Rolling Stone, 17 Jan. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Impertinent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/impertinent. Accessed 29 Jan. 2025.

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