impertinency

A child's impertinency earned him a stern look from his teacher.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • Rudeness or insolence: "impertinency" refers to behavior or speech that is disrespectful, bold, or overly forward, often showing a lack of proper respect for authority or social norms.
   • An act of irrelevance: It can also mean something that is out of place, off-topic, or inappropriate in a given context.
   • Intrusiveness: The quality of interfering or meddling in matters that do not concern one.

Usage Examples

• Rudeness or insolence:

  • His impertinency in questioning the judge's decision was shocking. (His rude and disrespectful behavior was surprising.)
  • She was scolded for her impertinency toward the elderly guest. (She was reprimanded for being insolent to an older visitor.)

• An act of irrelevance:

  • The student's comment was an impertinency that distracted from the lecture. (The remark was off-topic and inappropriate for the discussion.)

• Intrusiveness:

  • Her impertinency in asking about his salary was considered rude. (Her intrusive question was seen as inappropriate.)

Advanced Usage

• "to speak with impertinency": to address someone in a rude or disrespectful manner.

  • The servant was dismissed for speaking with impertinency to the master. (The servant was fired for being insolent.)

• "an impertinency of youth": a phrase describing youthful rudeness or lack of tact.

  • His bold questions were dismissed as an impertinency of youth. (His rude behavior was attributed to his young age.)

Variants and Related Words

• Impertinent (adj): showing rudeness or a lack of respect; irrelevant.

  • Her impertinent remarks offended everyone. (Her rude comments caused offense.)

• Impertinence (n): a synonym for impertinency, meaning rudeness or irrelevance.

  • The teacher could not tolerate such impertinence. (The teacher would not accept such rudeness.)

Synonyms

• Insolence: rude and disrespectful behavior.
• Rudeness: lack of politeness or good manners.
• Irrelevance: something not connected to the matter at hand.
• Intrusion: the act of interfering without invitation.

Phrasal Verbs

• (The word is primarily used as a noun.)

Related Idioms

• "to have the impertinency to do something": to be bold or rude enough to do something.

  • He had the impertinency to ask for a raise after arriving late every day. (He was rude enough to request a raise despite his poor punctuality.)

• "check someone's impertinency": to stop or correct someone's rude behavior.

  • The manager quickly checked the employee's impertinency with a stern look. (The manager stopped the rude behavior with a disapproving expression.)