pert
1 Americanadjective
-
boldly forward in speech or behavior; impertinent; saucy.
- Synonyms:
- impudent, presumptuous
-
jaunty and stylish; chic; natty.
-
lively; sprightly; in good health.
-
Obsolete. clever.
noun
abbreviation
adjective
-
saucy, impudent, or forward
-
jaunty
a pert little hat
-
obsolete clever or brisk
acronym
Other Word Forms
- pertly adverb
- pertness noun
Etymology
Origin of pert1
1200–50; Middle English, aphetic variant of apert < Old French < Latin apertus open (past participle of aperīre; aperient ); in Middle English and Old French, influenced by Old French aspert < Latin expertus expert
Origin of PERT2
P(rogram) E(valuation and) R(eview) T(echnique)
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.
She was sort of sagging into the couch and the remote in her hand wasn’t quite as pert.
From Literature
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A similarity in their pert features and slender arching eyebrows indicated that they were probably brother and sister.
From Literature
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“Not bad,’’ said a pert voice from the Potter’s Field, behind him.
From Literature
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She gestured to show what she meant: two legs instead of four, pert noses, a telltale lack of little curly tails.
From Literature
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Celaena rapped a finger on the queen’s pert nose.
From Literature
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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.