What does impertinent mean?
Impertinent means rude, disrespectful, or inappropriately bold, especially when someone makes an unwelcome personal comment, asks a question that they should not ask, or behaves with excessive familiarity. In contemporary use, it is a mildly formal and openly disapproving term, commonly applied to remarks, questions, children, and other behavior that oversteps ordinary social boundaries. The word can also have the older meaning of “not relevant” or “not pertinent,” although this sense is much less common today. Its history is reflected in its relationship to pertinent: both words come from Latin roots connected with being relevant or applicable. Because impertinence can suggest either social rudeness or lack of relevance, the intended sense is usually clear from context. The word is useful when describing conduct that is more than merely unfortunate or awkward but clearly violates expectations of courtesy.
Rude, disrespectful, or insolent, especially in making an inappropriate remark or question.
"It was impertinent of him to interrupt the speaker with such a personal question."
This is the standard modern sense. It is often used of questions, remarks, behavior, and children.
Not relevant to the subject; irrelevant.
"The speaker dismissed the question as impertinent to the discussion."
This sense is archaic or uncommon, and is now mainly encountered in formal, historical, or literary contexts.
From the same Latin root as pertinent, impertinent began by meaning “irrelevant” before becoming a label for behavior that oversteps social boundaries.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does impertinent come from?
The adjective comes from Latin impertinens, formed from the prefix im- meaning “not” and pertinens, “relevant” or “applicable.” In English, it originally referred to something irrelevant or not to the point. By the later Middle English and early modern period, it had also developed the sense of bold, overconfident, and disrespectful, which is now its dominant meaning.
Related word forms
How impertinent is actually used
In modern English, the word most commonly describes conduct or remarks that are rude and inappropriately familiar. The older sense meaning “irrelevant” is still encountered in formal or historical writing. The term is more common in British and American English than in highly informal speech, and it can sound formal or disapproving.
Easily confused with impertinent
Pertinent means relevant or directly related to the subject, whereas impertinent usually means rude or disrespectful, though it can also mean irrelevant in older usage.