insolence

[ in-suh-luhns ]

/ ˈɪn sə ləns /

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noun

contemptuously rude or impertinent behavior or speech.

the quality or condition of being insolent.

QUIZ

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Question 1 of 8

On the farm, the feed for chicks is significantly different from the roosters’; ______ not even comparable.

Origin of insolence

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English word from Latin word insolentia.See insolent, -ence

o·ver·in·so·lence, noun

Only in the carnage of the head, the tilt of the chin, was the insolence expressed that had made her many enemies.
Ancestors|Gertrude Atherton
Never again would he sit behind that wheel rejoicing in the insolence of speed.
The Joyous Adventures of Aristide Pujol|William J. Locke
Then she put her anger from her; put from her, too, the insolence and scorn with which so lavishly she had addressed him hitherto.
St. Martin's Summer|Rafael Sabatini
Then he looked with cold insolence from the dishes set before Garnache to those which were being set for himself.
St. Martin's Summer|Rafael Sabatini

There was in his look and manner, even in his attitude, a something that was almost like a carelessly veiled insolence.
Bella Donna|Robert Hichens