Definify.com
Webster 1913 Edition
Impertinent
1.
Not pertinent; not pertaining to the matter in hand; having no bearing on the subject; not to the point; irrelevant; inapplicable.
Things that are
impertinent
to us. Tillotson.
How
impertinent
that grief was which served no end! Jer. Taylor.
2.
Contrary to, or offending against, the rules of propriety or good breeding; guilty of, or prone to, rude, unbecoming, or uncivil words or actions;
as, an
impertient
coxcomb; an impertient
remark.
Syn. – Rude; officious; intrusive; saucy; unmannerly; meddlesome; disrespectful; impudent; insolent.
–
Impertinent
, Officious
, Rude
. A person is officious who obtrudes his offices or assistance where they are not needed; he is impertinent when he intermeddles in things with which he has no concern. The former shows a lack of tact, the latter a lack of breeding, or, more commonly, a spirit of sheer impudence. A person is rude when he violates the proprieties of social life either from ignorance or wantonness. “An impertinent man will ask questions for the mere gratification of curiosity; a rude man will burst into the room of another, or push against his person, inviolant of all decorum; one who is officious is quite as unfortunate as he is troublesome; when he strives to serve, he has the misfortune to annoy.” Crabb.
See Impudence
, and Insolent
. Im-per′ti-nent
,Noun.
An impertinent person.
[R.]
Webster 1828 Edition
Impertinent
IMPER'TINENT
,Adj.
1.
Not pertaining to the matter in hand; of no weight; having no bearing on the subject; as an impertinent remark.2.
Rude; intrusive; meddling with that which does not belong to the person; as an impertinent coxcomb.3.
Trifling; foolish; negligent of the present purpose.IMPER'TINENT
,Noun.
Definition 2024
impertinent
impertinent
English
Adjective
impertinent (comparative more impertinent, superlative most impertinent)
- insolent, ill-mannered
- Tillotson
- things that are impertinent to us
- Jeremy Taylor
- How impertinent that grief was which served no end!
- Tillotson
- irrelevant (opposite of pertinent)
Usage notes
- Although historically, definition 2 was the original meaning (derived from the French below), the meaning gradually changed to definition 1. More recently general usage has come to once again incorporate definition 2. Many older speakers will consider definition 2 incorrect. The construction "not pertinent" is one possible alternative.
Synonyms
- See also Wikisaurus:cheeky
Translations
insolent, ill-mannered
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irrelevant
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Noun
impertinent (plural impertinents)
- An impertinent individual.
- Maria Edgeworth
- comfortably recessed from curious impertinents
- Maria Edgeworth
Dutch
Pronunciation
Adjective
impertinent (comparative impertinenter, superlative impertinentst)
Inflection
| Inflection of impertinent | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| uninflected | impertinent | |||
| inflected | impertinente | |||
| comparative | impertinenter | |||
| positive | comparative | superlative | ||
| predicative/adverbial | impertinent | impertinenter | het impertinentst het impertinentste |
|
| indefinite | m./f. sing. | impertinente | impertinentere | impertinentste |
| n. sing. | impertinent | impertinenter | impertinentste | |
| plural | impertinente | impertinentere | impertinentste | |
| definite | impertinente | impertinentere | impertinentste | |
| partitive | impertinents | impertinenters | — | |
French
Pronunciation
Adjective
impertinent m (feminine singular impertinente, masculine plural impertinents, feminine plural impertinentes)
German
Pronunciation
Adjective
impertinent (comparative impertinenter, superlative am impertinentesten)
Related terms
Declension
Positive forms of impertinent
Comparative forms of impertinent
Superlative forms of impertinent