impudent
Americanadjective
-
mischievous, impertinent, or disrespectful
-
an obsolete word for immodest
Synonym Usage
See impertinent.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of impudent
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English from Latin impudent- (stem of impudēns ) “shameless,” equivalent to im- im- 2 + pud- (base of pudēre “to feel shame”; cf. pudendum) + -ent- -ent
Explanation
An impudent person is bold, sassy, and shameless. If your teacher asks the class to open their textbooks, and you snap back, "Let's not and say we did," you're being impudent. Impudent comes from the Latin combination of im, meaning without, and pudens, meaning shame. We often call someone impudent if they’re disrespectful, snotty, or inappropriate in a way that makes someone feel bad. If you know someone has just lost all their money on the stock market, don’t be impudent and ask them how they’re going to afford gas money for their yacht.
Vocabulary lists containing impudent
List 2
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"The Ransom of Red Chief" by O. Henry
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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.
Yet O’Connor condemned RIH’s move as an underhanded gambit to “circumvent” his authority, as though he alone had a claim to litigate this dispute and McElroy was an impudent interloper.
From Slate • May 19, 2026
Before Standard Oil became “the most gigantic, the most cruel, impudent, pitiless, and grasping monopoly which ever fastened upon a community,” it was a start-up.
From Barron's • May 2, 2026
Whether he meant it or not, it was a spectacular and impudent piece of skill.
From BBC • Aug. 10, 2025
“Fargo” sets tell a potent story by themselves, and one accent you may not have noticed is the impudent double meanings in the surroundings.
From Salon • Dec. 27, 2023
I pour my heart out to you, and the rest of the time I’m as impudent, cheerful and self-confident as possible to avoid questions and keep from getting on my own nerves.
From "The Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank
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.
