impertinence
UK /ɪmˈpɜː.tɪ.nəns/ · US /ɪmˈpɝ.tɪ.nəns/ noun
Forms impertinences
- noun (uncountable) Lack of pertinence; irrelevance.
- noun (countable) An instance of this; a moment of being impertinent.
- noun (uncountable) The fact or character of being out of place; inappropriateness.
- noun (countable, uncountable) Insolence; impudence.
Synonyms
impudence cheek crust gall insolence cheekiness freshness perkiness pertness sauciness archness
Etymology
Borrowed from Middle French impertinence, from impertinent (“impertinent”); by surface analysis, im- + pertinent.
Webster’s 1913
- noun The condition or quality of being impertnent; absence of pertinence, or of adaptedness; irrelevance; unfitness.
- noun Conduct or language unbecoming the person, the society, or the circumstances; rudeness; incivility.
Etymology [Cf. F. impertinence. See Impertinent.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “impertinence”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details