impudent
Americanadjective
-
mischievous, impertinent, or disrespectful
-
an obsolete word for immodest
Related Words
See impertinent.
Other Word Forms
- impudently adverb
- impudentness noun
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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Advanced English Words
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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.
Whether he meant it or not, it was a spectacular and impudent piece of skill.
From BBC • Aug. 10, 2025
“I’ll strike my words but I’m not apologizing,” returned Greene, with the gusto of an impudent teenager.
From Slate • May 21, 2024
“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
She’s solicitous but also at times impudent and defiant in a flamboyantly humorous way.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 17, 2023
“Well, ma’am, I’d like to fill out an application,” I said, tightrope-walking between being determined and perhaps seeming impudent.
From "Reaching for the Moon" by Katherine Johnson
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.
