importunate

[ im-pawr-chuh-nit ]

/ ɪmˈpɔr tʃə nɪt /

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See synonyms for: importunate / importunately / importunateness on Thesaurus.com

adjective

urgent or persistent in solicitation, sometimes annoyingly so.

pertinacious, as solicitations or demands.

troublesome; annoying: importunate demands from the children for attention.

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Origin of importunate

1520–30; importune (adj.) + -ate¹

OTHER WORDS FROM importunate

im·por·tu·nate·ly, adverbim·por·tu·nate·ness, nounun·im·por·tu·nate, adjectiveun·im·por·tu·nate·ly, adverb

un·im·por·tu·nate·ness, noun

Words nearby importunate

important, importation, importee, import quota, importunacy, importunate, importune, importunity, impose, imposed, impose on

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use importunate in a sentence

Wordsworth has illustrated how an unwise and importunate demand for a reason from a child may drive him into invention.
Children's Ways|James Sully
Another rap, louder and more importunate, echoed through the large room.
The World Before Them|Susanna Moodie
"My men and I have a devilish importunate creditor," said he, slapping his stomach.
Repertory Of The Comedie Humaine, Complete, A -- Z|Anatole Cerfberr and Jules Franois Christophe
Somewhere near her feet the cricket gave out an importunate chirp.
The Dragon Painter|Mary McNeil Fenollosa

The memories of that time, and of the importunate thoughts that had haunted him then, at the opening of life, returned to him now.
The Daughters of Danaus|Mona Caird

British Dictionary definitions for importunate

importunate

/ (ɪmˈpɔːtjʊnɪt) /

adjective

persistent or demanding; insistent

rare troublesome; annoying

Derived forms of importunate

importunately, adverbimportunateness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

importunate

Origin of importunate

OTHER WORDS FROM importunate

Words nearby importunate

Words related to importunate

How to use importunate in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for importunate

Derived forms of importunate