IMPERTINENT
adjective | im-PER-tuh-nunt
What it Means
Impertinent is a formal word describing someone or something that is rude and showing a lack of respect.
// The band stopped doing interviews after years of journalists asking invasive and impertinent questions.
Impertinent in Context
“On Friday night, I discovered that the plans I had for Saturday morning were not going to work out, so I decided to go fishing instead. It was too late to hitch up with a fishing buddy, and it would be impertinent to ask permission to fish on someone’s private property at such a late hour, so I decided to go by myself to the public section of the Soque River.” — Bill Hager, The White County (Georgia) News, 7 July 2026
Did You Know?
A pertinent statement or remark is one that pertains—that is, is relevant—to the subject at hand. It stands to reason, therefore, that impertinent could be used to describe things that are irrelevant. Indeed, “not pertinent” is the word’s oldest meaning, dating to the 15th century. A pertinent question: how did a word meaning “irrelevant” come to also describe someone as rude (now the more common sense of impertinent)? The answer comes down to the particular quality of rudeness on display. Burping loudly while your teacher is giving a lecture, for example, would be rude, but unlikely to be called impertinent. Raising your hand mid-lecture to ask where your teacher purchased such a ridiculous sweater, however, would be impertinent, i.e. such a question is rude because it in no way pertains to the matter at hand in a classroom.
