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Impertinent vs Impudence - What's the difference?

impertinent | impudence |

As nouns the difference between impertinent and impudence

is that impertinent is an impertinent individual while impudence is the quality of being impudent, not showing due respect.

As an adjective impertinent

is insolent, ill-mannered.

impertinent

English

Adjective

(en adjective)
  • insolent, ill-mannered
  • * Tillotson
    • things that are impertinent to us
  • * Jeremy Taylor
    • How impertinent that grief was which served no end!
  • irrelevant (opposite of pertinent)

    • Usage notes

    Although, historically, definition 2 was the original (derived from the French below) usage; meaning gradually changed to definition 1. More recently general usage has come to, once again, incorporate definition 2. As many older speakers will consider definition 2 incorrect, avoiding the word altogether may be advisable. The construction "not pertinent" is one possible alternative.

    Synonyms

    * See also

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • An impertinent individual.
  • * (Maria Edgeworth)
    • comfortably recessed from curious impertinents
    ----

    impudence

    English

    Noun

    (-)
  • The quality of being impudent, not showing due respect.
  • Impudent language, conduct or behavior.
  • *
    • , title=The Mirror and the Lamp , chapter=2 citation , passage=That the young Mr. Churchills liked—but they did not like him coming round of an evening and drinking weak whisky-and-water while he held forth on railway debentures and corporation loans. Mr. Barrett, however, by fawning and flattery, seemed to be able to make not only Mrs. Churchill but everyone else do what he desired. And if the arts of humbleness failed him, he overcame you by sheer impudence .}}

    Synonyms

    * cheek * sauciness * See also