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importunate

[ im-pawr-chuh-nit ]
/ ɪmˈpɔr tʃə nɪt /
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adjective

urgent or persistent in solicitation, sometimes annoyingly so.
pertinacious, as solicitations or demands.
troublesome; annoying: importunate demands from the children for attention.

RELATED WORDS

burning, clamant, clamorous, crying, disturbing, dogged, earnest, exigent, imperative, instant, persevering, persistent, pertinacious, pressing, solicitous, troublesome, urgent, harassing

Nearby words

  1. importation,
  2. imported currantworm,
  3. importee,
  4. importer,
  5. importunacy,
  6. importunately,
  7. importune,
  8. importunity,
  9. impose,
  10. impose on

Origin of importunate

1520–30; importune (adj.) + -ate1
Related forms
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for importunate

British Dictionary definitions for importunate

importunate

/ (ɪmˈpɔːtjʊnɪt) /

adjective

persistent or demanding; insistent
rare troublesome; annoying
Derived Formsimportunately, 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
Word Origin and History for importunate

importunate

adj.

1520s, from importune + -ate, or else from Medieval Latin importunatus, past participle of importunari. Related: Importunately (mid-15c.).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper