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Webster 1913 Edition


Impertinent

Im-per′ti-nent

,
Adj.
[F., fr. L.
impertinens
,
-entis
; pref.
im-
not +
pertinens
. See
Pertinent
.]
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.
[L. impertinens, supra.]
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.
An intruder; a meddler; one who interferes in what does not belong to him.