insolent
Americanadjective
noun
adjective
Synonym Usage
See impertinent.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of insolent
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English from Latin insolent- (stem of insolēns ) “departing from custom,” equivalent to in- in- 3 + sol- (stem of solēre “to be accustomed”) + -ent- -ent
Explanation
Someone who's insolent is either really doing her own thing, even if it goes against what everyone else is doing, or she’s mildly disrespectful. That student in your class who is constantly snubbing the teacher, snorting when he gives assignments, and rolling her eyes when he reads passages aloud from your vocabulary textbook? Insolent, definitely insolent. There might be another student who adorns her school uniform with pins and ribbons, cuts her hair shorter than the dress code allows, and rolls her socks down. This student is also insolent, in the sense that she defies the rules.
Vocabulary lists containing insolent
The SAT: Words to Capture Tone, List 3
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
List 5
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
The New SAT: Words to Capture Tone
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
While these insolent young men live in a medieval fantasy world of flying beasts, they reflect a very modern obsession with a younger generation that can’t live up to the precedent set by their forebears.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 22, 2026
Fans were momentarily disappointed, but nothing could detract from the insolent, messy glory of tracks like Club Classics or Sympathy Is A Knife.
From BBC ● Jun. 28, 2025
“These are absolutely unfounded, insolent accusations about the head of the Russian state,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 20, 2024
Jonathan Holby’s fight direction introduces a gun into the arsenal of knives that does away with Jack Riddiford’s charismatic Mercutio, here an insolent provocateur who has barely spoken the Queen Mab speech before he disappears.
From New York Times ● Jun. 16, 2023
I asked, tasting the bitterness as the words left my insolent mouth.
From "Summer of the Mariposas" by Guadalupe García McCall
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
