From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Impertinent \Im*per"ti*nent\, a. [F., fr. L. impertinens,
-entis; pref. im- not + pertinens. See {Pertinent}.]
1. Not pertinent; not pertaining to the matter in hand;
having no bearing on the subject; not to the point;
irrelevant; inapplicable.
[1913 Webster]
Things that are impertinent to us. --Tillotson.
[1913 Webster]
How impertinent that grief was which served no end!
--Jer. Taylor.
[1913 Webster]
2. Contrary to, or offending against, the rules of propriety
or good breeding; guilty of, or prone to, rude,
unbecoming, or uncivil words or actions; as, an impertient
coxcomb; an impertient remark.
[1913 Webster]
3. Trifing; inattentive; frivolous.
Syn: Rude; officious; intrusive; saucy; unmannerly;
meddlesome; disrespectful; impudent; insolent.
Usage: {Impertinent}, {Officious}, {Rude}. A person is
officious who obtrudes his offices or assistance where
they are not needed; he is impertinent when he
intermeddles in things with which he has no concern.
The former shows a lack of tact, the latter a lack of
breeding, or, more commonly, a spirit of sheer
impudence. A person is rude when he violates the
proprieties of social life either from ignorance or
wantonness. "An impertinent man will ask questions for
the mere gratification of curiosity; a rude man will
burst into the room of another, or push against his
person, inviolant of all decorum; one who is officious
is quite as unfortunate as he is troublesome; when he
strives to serve, he has the misfortune to annoy."
--Crabb. See {Impudence}, and {Insolent}.
[1913 Webster]
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Impertinent \Im*per"ti*nent\, n.
An impertinent person. [R.]
[1913 Webster]
From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
impertinent
adj 1: characterized by a lightly pert and exuberant quality; "a
certain irreverent gaiety and ease of manner" [syn:
{impertinent}, {irreverent}, {pert}, {saucy}]
2: not pertinent to the matter under consideration; "an issue
extraneous to the debate"; "the price was immaterial";
"mentioned several impertinent facts before finally coming to
the point" [syn: {extraneous}, {immaterial}, {impertinent},
{orthogonal}]
3: improperly forward or bold; "don't be fresh with me";
"impertinent of a child to lecture a grownup"; "an impudent
boy given to insulting strangers"; "Don't get wise with me!"
[syn: {fresh}, {impertinent}, {impudent}, {overbold},
{smart}, {saucy}, {sassy}, {wise}]
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