impertinent

American  

[im-pur-tn-uhnt] / ɪmˈpɜr tn ənt /

adjective

1. intrusive or presumptuous, as persons or their actions; insolently rude; uncivil.

   a brash, impertinent youth.

   Synonyms:

   brazen, pert, saucy, officious, insulting, bold, fresh

   Antonyms:

   polite

2. not pertinent or relevant; irrelevant.

   an impertinent detail.

3. Archaic. inappropriate, incongruous, or absurd.

4. Obsolete. (of persons) trivial, silly, or absurd.

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impertinent British  

/ ɪmˈpɜːtɪnənt /

adjective

1. rude; insolent; impudent

2. irrelevant or inappropriate

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Synonym Usage

Impertinent, impudent, insolent refer to bold, rude, and arrogant behavior. Impertinent, from its primary meaning of not pertinent and hence inappropriate or out of place, has come to imply often an unseemly intrusion into what does not concern one, or a presumptuous rudeness toward one entitled to deference or respect: an impertinent interruption, question, manner toward a teacher. Impudent suggests a bold and shameless impertinence: an impudent speech, young rascal. Insolent suggests insulting or arrogantly contemptuous behavior: unbearably insolent toward those in authority.

Other Word Forms

• impertinentness
  noun
• unimpertinent
  adjective
• impertinently
  adverb
• unimpertinently
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of impertinent

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English from Late Latin impertinent- (stem of impertinēns ) “not belonging.” See im- ², pertinent

Explanation

If someone's rude without being openly nasty, like a kid in the back row of class quietly heckling his teacher, you can call him impertinent. Impertinent originally meant just what it sounds like, "not pertinent, irrelevant," but it also came to mean "inappropriate, out of place" and therefore "intrusive, presumptuous; behaving without proper respect; insolent." It still carries a condescending air, so it's best used of or to a child being snippy to a grownup: "Don't be impertinent!" The stress is on the second syllable: im-PERT-inent.