Crossword clues for impertinent
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
The Collaborative International Dictionary
Impertinent \Im*per"ti*nent\, a. [F., fr. L. impertinens, -entis; pref. im- not + pertinens. See Pertinent.]
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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. 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.
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Trifing; inattentive; frivolous.
Syn: Rude; officious; intrusive; saucy; unmannerly; meddlesome; disrespectful; impudent; insolent.
Usage: 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.
Impertinent \Im*per"ti*nent\, n. An impertinent person. [R.]
Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
late 14c., "unconnected, unrelated, not to the point," from Old French impertinent (14c.) or directly from Late Latin impertinentem (nominative impertinens) "not belonging," literally "not to the point," from assimilated form of Latin in- "not, opposite of" (see in- (1)) + pertinens (see pertinent). Sense of "rudely bold" is 1680s, from earlier sense of "not appropriate to the situation," probably modeled on similar use in French, especially by Molière, from notion of meddling with what is beyond one's proper sphere.
Wiktionary
a. 1 insolent, ill-mannered 2 irrelevant (opposite of pertinent) n. An impertinent individual.
WordNet
adj. characterized by a lightly pert and exuberant quality; "a certain irreverent gaiety and ease of manner" [syn: irreverent, pert, saucy]
not pertinent to the matter under consideration; "an issue extraneous to the debate"; "the price was immaterial"; "mentioned several impertinent facts before finally coming to the point" [syn: extraneous, immaterial, orthogonal]
improperly forward or bold; "don't be fresh with me"; "impertinent of a child to lecture a grownup"; "an impudent boy given to insulting strangers" [syn: fresh, impudent, overbold, smart, saucy, sassy]
Usage examples of "impertinent".
Tell them I will complain to the ministers, and will have them thrown into the Bastile, impertinent people, who play tricks upon an ambassador.
Liberals invented the myth of McCarthyism to delegitimize impertinent questions about their own patriotism.
As to what he urged on this occasion, as I am convinced most of my readers will be much abler advocates for poor Jones, it would be impertinent to relate it.
She was persona non grata around here, having been impertinent enough to ask questions about the corporate structure and political affiliations of the mysterious megacorporation that had sprung up out of nowhere in the last few years, and having compounded her crime by asking those questions in print.
You are impertinent, it seemed to say, but I am older and wiser, so I will ignore it, and you.
Not another reflection do you hear from me, if I must pay forfeit of my privilege to hurry you on past descriptions of places and anatomy of character and impertinent talk about philosophy in a story.
I have no impertinent curiosity about me: but love good-nature and thence became amoris abundantia erga te.
Mrs Leslie had said impertinent things to her about Ferdinand Lopez, and she had snubbed Mrs Leslie.
I dared not ask where she lived, lest he might think my curiosity impertinent.
The impertinent scoundrel threatened to have me arrested, but I know that a just Government rules here, and not arbitrary power.
Brass Babboon squealed to a stop, its impertinent grin a few inches from its improbable caboose, Dubhe fired the salute.
A way of escaping from a difficulty without satisfying impertinent curiosity.
In my indignation I ran for my cane, but the banker held me by the arm, and the impertinent fellow made his escape without a thrashing.
The custom-house officials made a minute, vexatious and even an impertinent perquisition.
The impudent slut honoured me with a smile of disdain, and then beginning to dress herself she proceeded to indulge in impertinent repartees.