impudence
Americannoun
-
the quality or state of being impudent; effrontery; insolence.
- Synonyms:
- boldness, lip, face, brazenness, brass, rudeness, impertinence, gall, nerve, pertness, sauce, presumption
- Antonyms:
- courtesy
-
impudent conduct or language.
-
Obsolete. lack of modesty; shamelessness.
noun
-
the quality of being impudent
-
an impudent act or statement
Etymology
Origin of impudence
1350–1400; Middle English < Latin impudentia shamelessness. See impudent, -ence
Explanation
When you show impudence, you lack shame about your rude behavior. Examples of impudence? Not tipping the waiter, sticking your tongue out, tripping your grandmother — you get the picture. The noun impudence is derived from the Latin impudentia, "shamelessness." Being rude is a main trait of impudence; another is doing something you're not supposed to do — usually with an attitude that shows you don't care. When you are acting with impudence, you are usually overstepping your boundaries — like a kid who challenges his parents and can't accept "Because I said so!" as a reason for discipline.
Vocabulary lists containing impudence
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass
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Fever 1793
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The Lightning Thief
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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.
“The impudence of a bawd is modesty compared with that of a convert,” said George Savile, the first marquess of Halifax.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 8, 2026
The AI-generated Angie seems a bit overdone when compared to the more conflicted human original, whose moodiness shifts mercurially between impudence and ambivalence.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2025
It would never come into their heads to fabricate colossal untruths, and they would not believe others could have the impudence to distort the truth so infamously.
From Salon ● Dec. 10, 2023
Apparently, that impudence is what provoked Greene into calling Boebert a bad name.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 27, 2023
“I say nothing of which I am ashamed,” replied he, with lively impudence.
From "Emma" by Jane Austen
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.
