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adjective

impertinent

rude and disrespectful in a way that oversteps proper limits

In a sentence

Six example sentences with impertinent, each labelled with its topic.

  • The judge warned the witness that answering every question with a shrug was impertinent and could be treated as contempt.

    Law

  • In the novel the governess is dismissed for an impertinent reply to her employer, though the reader knows she was simply right.

    Literature

  • The intern's impertinent email, copying the whole company on his complaints about the chief executive's decisions, ended his placement early.

    Business

  • The butler's impertinent remark about the duchess's hat gets the biggest laugh in the film's opening scene.

    Movies

  • The rookie's impertinent reply to the coach during a timeout earned him a seat on the bench for the whole fourth quarter.

    Basketball

  • The minister called the reporter's question impertinent, though the audience felt it was simply one he preferred not to answer.

    Politics

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Found in these word lists

Found in 6 published word listsRecognized

Each source is a published word list that contains impertinent. No exam board publishes an official GRE, GMAT or SAT list; GMAT words come from GRE lists and the Academic Word List.