impertinence

American  

[im-pur-tn-uhns] / ɪmˈpɜr tn əns /

noun

1. unmannerly intrusion or presumption; insolence.

2. impertinent quality or action.

3. something impertinent, as an act or statement.

4. an impertinent person.

5. irrelevance, inappropriateness, or absurdity.

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impertinence British  

/ ɪmˈpɜːtɪnəns /

noun

1. disrespectful behaviour or language; rudeness; insolence

2. an impertinent act, gesture, etc

3. rare lack of pertinence; irrelevance; inappropriateness

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Etymology

Origin of impertinence

First recorded in 1595–1605; impertin(ency) + -ence

Explanation

You have to be sure your teacher has a good sense of humor before you criticize the way he dresses, otherwise you might be scolded for your impertinence. Impertinence means "being rude, insolent, or inappropriately playful." Impertinence seems like a word that was invented for adults to use when they're complaining about rude or disrespectful kids. Sometimes you might think you're being funny or playful, but what you're saying can come across as impertinence to someone who expects to be treated with respect. The Latin root is impertinentem, or "not belonging." When someone shows impertinence, they act in a way that doesn't belong, or fit the situation.

Example Sentences

Impertinence, hauteur, sudden repentance, happiness, rebellion and fatigue supplant each other with lightning speed on her mobile, adolescent face.

From Time Magazine Archive

Impertinence to a teacher was almost a reformatory offense in Brooklyn.

From "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith

The Lady who pines for the Man whom she treats with so much Impertinence and Inconstancy, is drawn with much Art and Humour.

From The Spectator, Volume 2. by Addison, Joseph

But when I consider how perfect a Master you are, both of History and Genealogy, I ought to beg your pardon for my Impertinence in troubling you with these Instances.

From The Memoirs of Charles-Lewis, Baron de Pollnitz, Volume I Being the Observations He Made in His Late Travels from Prussia thro' Germany, Italy, France, Flanders, Holland, England, &C. in Letters to His Friend. Discovering Not Only the Present State of the Chief Cities and Towns; but the Characters of the Principal Persons at the Several Courts. by P?llnitz, Karl Ludwig von

Does she plague us with her Pride and Impertinence?

From Benjamin Franklin Representative selections, with introduction, bibliograpy, and notes by Jorgenson, Chester E.