Make Your Point: IMPERTINENT

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pronounce IMPERTINENT:

im PURT 'n unt

Hear it.

connect this word to others:

The comedian Jena Friedman recently asked her male comedian friends the same impertinent questions that she often gets, adjusted for gender, e.g. "Do you think it’s more difficult for male comics who are not attractive?" and "Do you write your own material?" and "Is all your material about being a dad?"

Those questions are so rude, so inappropriately bold, and so offensive: so impertinent.

The word impertinent looks like it should be the exact opposite of pertinent. (It's not, but it used to be.) Can you explain what it means today when something is pertinent—say, pertinent to our discussion of gender in comedy?

definition:

"Impertinent" has Latin bits that (very literally) mean "not fully holding:"
im- = not
per- = fully, completely
tin = hold

Less literally, "impertinent" traces back to a Latin word meaning "not pertaining: not related, not belonging, not concerned with the topic at hand." That's what it first meant in English, but over time, its meaning changed from "irrelevant" to "inappropriate" to the current meaning, "rudely inappropriate."

Toay, to be impertinent is to be rude and disrespectful, saying exactly what's on your mind or asking exactly what you're curious about, even though it's totally inappropriate to do so.

In other words, impertinent things and people are rude in an inappropriately straightforward way.

grammatical bits:

Part of speech:

Adjective: "an impertinent question;" "She's the most impertinent child."

Other forms:

Impertinently, impertinence.

Like I mentioned, the base word, "pertain," and its other forms, "pertinent," "pertinently," and "pertinence," have a quite different meaning.

how to use it:

"Impertinent" is a formal, serious, semi-common word, with a negative tone.

We often talk about impertinent kids and their impertinent questions, but we can also talk about impertinent adults and their impertinent demands, assumptions, requests, comments, etc.

With that word "impertinent," we're often describing an honest kind of rudeness. You know how, as a kid, you learn pretty quickly that there's a lot you're not allowed to say, and a lot you're not allowed to ask? Well, when people act like clueless children and say the unsayable things, and ask the unaskable things, causing shock and offense, then the perfect word for that behavior is impertinence. Impertinent questions are things like "Why are you pregnant again?", "What's wrong with your teeth?", and "If you're from Africa... why are you white?"

examples:

"Celaena tilted her head to the side. 'Whom would you marry? Prince Dorian?' It was prying, and a bit impertinent—and she regretted the question the second it came out."
— Sarah J. Maas, Throne of Glass, 2012

"Perdie says, 'He should consider himself lucky that we put up with him.' She can get away with a little impertinence."
— Margaret Atwood, Cat's Eye, 1988

has this page helped you understand "impertinent"?

Awesome, I'm glad it helped!

Thanks for letting me know!
If you have any questions about this word, please message me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.

study it:

Explain the meaning of "impertinent" without saying "brazen or "insolent."

try it out:

Impertinence can be fun to read about, at least in fiction.

Here's the impertinent young narrator in No More Dead Dogs:

"For me, honesty wasn't just the best policy; it was the only one. I told my soon-to-be ex-piano teacher that her fingernails reminded me of velociraptor claws. The cook at summer camp I informed that his pork chop could double as a bulletproof vest. My cousin Melinda's clarinet playing I described as 'somebody strangling a duck.'"

And here's the impertinent Elizabeth in Pride and Prejudice:

"She wanted Mr. Darcy to account for his having ever fallen in love with her... 'I never spoke to you without rather wishing to give you pain than not. Now be sincere; did you admire me for my impertinence? ... The fact is, that you were sick of civility, of deference, of officious attention. You were disgusted with the women who were always speaking, and looking, and thinking for your approbation alone. I roused and interested you, because I was so unlike them.'"

Why do these characters seem to embrace their own impertinence? In real life, do you think impertinence is ever refreshing, or even attractive? Why or why not?

before you review, play:

Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.

Our game for May is "The Rock & Roll Hall of Game."

It’s inspired by a Jeopardy! category called Foodstock.

I'll give you a clue, and you'll try to come up with the tweaked name of a group or solo artist from the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

For example, if I give you "They're an American boy band fond of surfing, California, rich vocal harmonies, and helping the Mario Brothers rescue the princess," then you give me "The Peach Boys" (a playful blend of "The Beach Boys" and "Princess Peach" from the Mario games).

Try this one today: These southern rockers found success from the late 70’s through the 90’s, wrote songs for the movies FM and She's The One, fascinated and disturbed us with a music video about the Mad Hatter eating Alice, and never backed down in Candy Crush, especially with the open pastries filled with berries.

To see the answer, scroll all the way down!

review this word:

1. The precise opposite of IMPERTINENT was once PERTINENT. But today, the approximate opposite of IMPERTINENT is

A. TACTFUL.
B. SLUGGISH.
C. OBLIVIOUS.

2. Why are kids so often impertinent? Probably because they're _____.

A. pure-hearted and eager to please
B. curious but unschooled in social graces
C. quick learners who readily embrace new technologies

a final word:

I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love. I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words.

From my blog:
On vocabulary...
  36 ways to study words.
  Why we forget words, & how to remember them.
  How to use sophisticated words without being awkward.
On writing...
How to improve any sentence.
How to motivate our kids to write.
How to stop procrastinating and start writing.
How to bulk up your writing when you have to meet a word count.

From my heart: a profound thanks to the generous patrons, donors, and sponsors that make it possible for me to write these emails. If you'd like to be a patron or a donor, please click here. If you'd like to be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.

A disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.

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