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
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List 5
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The New SAT: Words to Capture Tone
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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
Be insolent, break the rules, don’t doubt your instincts and buy your freedom by working on the cheap.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2025
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
I have this insolent, oppositional child and I get to be liable for that?
From New York Times ● Jan. 23, 2024
“Should any hair be so insolent as to appear, my barber stands with razor ready,” he had assured her when she raised him up.
From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin
Definitions 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.
