irreverent
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of irreverent
1485–95; < Latin irreverent- (stem of irreverēns ) disrespectful. See ir- 2, reverent
Explanation
If you are irreverent, you don’t show respect toward something, like your irreverent singing of your school's alma mater in a funny voice. To be irreverent doesn’t necessarily mean you don't like something; it’s just that you don’t display the same honor for it that other people do. You might have a more light-hearted approach, poking fun of the way other people seem to almost blindly show their devotion. For example, when people at the Louvre are standing in hushed awe in front of the "Mona Lisa" it would be irreverent to holler "What's so great about that?"
Vocabulary lists containing irreverent
The SAT: Words to Capture Tone, List 3
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The New SAT: Words to Capture Tone
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ACT Reading Test: Words to Capture Tone, List 3
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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.
At the time, the irreverent news website had seemingly cracked the code for social-media virality.
From MarketWatch • May 8, 2026
"Centre stage we have Saraya, who is this mouthy, irreverent outsider, complicated, flawed, and it's her journey of realising all those attributes are the things that make her really special," Cooper said.
From BBC • Apr. 21, 2026
HBO Max’s “The Pitt” received a credit of $24.2 million, while “Stewie,” a spin-off of Seth MacFarlane’s irreverent adult cartoon “Family Guy,” was awarded $6.4 million.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 18, 2026
Leonard Bernstein was commissioned to write a theatrical piece for the center’s opening in 1971, which turned out to be an irreverent “Mass” — musically, liturgically, culturally and, most assuredly, politically.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 3, 2026
It describes the fine, irreverent carelessness I myself would like to cultivate, in these and other matters.
From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood
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.
