impudent

English

Etymology

From Middle English impudent, originally meaning immodest, shameless, from Latin impudēns (“shameless”), ultimately from in- +‎ pudere (“to feel shame”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈɪmpjʊdənt/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈɪmpjədn̩t/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Hyphenation: im‧pu‧dent

Adjective

impudent (comparative more impudent or (proscribed) impudenter, superlative most impudent or (proscribed) impudentest)

1. Not showing due respect; bold-faced, impertinent.

   Synonyms: bold, brazen-faced, insolent; see also Thesaurus:cheeky

   The impudent children would not stop talking in class.

   • c. 1597 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The First Part of Henry the Fourth, […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene i], page 79, column 2:

     Sir Iohn, ſir Iohn, I am well acquainted with your maner of wrenching the true cauſe,the falſe way. It is not a confident brow, nor the throng of wordes, that come with ſuch (more then impudent) ſawcines from you, can thruſt me from a leuell conſideration, […]

   • 1846 October 1 – 1848 April 1, Charles Dickens, “Paul’s Further Progress, Growth, and Character”, in Dombey and Son, London: Bradbury and Evans, […], published 1848, →OCLC, page 75:

     “Wickam,” retorted Mrs. Pipchin, coloring, “is a wicked, impudent, bold-faced hussy.”

   • 1877, Emma Jane Worboise, “The New Evangeline”, in The Grey House at Endlestone, London: James Clarke and Co., […]; Hodder and Stoughton, […], →OCLC, page 480:

     And another asked me if I had come to get a Canadian sweetheart; and a third, one of the impudentest, most conceitedest fellows I ever did set eyes upon, nudged me, so that I spilled my coffee all over my second-best damask-silk apron—the one with bugle fringe, you know, Miss Capel—and says he, 'Is it a case of Barkis is willin'?'

2. (obsolete) Lacking modesty or shame; indelicate.
   • c. 1604–1605 (date written), William Shakespeare, “All’s Well, that Ends Well”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene iii], page 252, column 2:

     Dian. Good my Lord,
     Aske him vpon his oath, if hee do’s thinke
     He had not my virginity.
     Kin. What ſaift thou to her?
     Ber. She’s impudent my Lord,
     And was a common gameſter to the Campe.
     Dia. He do’s me wrong my Lord: If I were ſo,
     He might haue bought me at a common price.

   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Proverbs 7:13–15:

     So she caught him, and kissed him, and with an impudent face, said vnto him, I haue peace offerings with me: this day haue I paid my vowes. Therefore came I forth to meete thee, diligently to seeke thy face, and I haue found thee.

   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Ecclesiasticus 19:2:

     Wine and women will make men of vnderstanding to fall away, and he that cleaueth to harlots will become impudent.

Derived terms

• impudently
• impudentness

Related terms

• impudence
• impudency
• impudicity
• pudency
• pudendal
• pudendous
• pudendum
• pudent (rare)
• pudibund (rare)
• pudibundery
• pudibundity
• pudic
• pudical
• pudicity

Translations

not showing due respect — see also insolent,‎ impertinent

• Belarusian: наха́бны (naxábny), зухва́льскі (zuxválʹski), дзёрзкі (dzjórzki)
• Bulgarian: дъ́рзък (bg) (dắrzăk), наха́лен (bg) (nahálen), безочли́в (bg) (bezočlív), на́гъл (bg) (nágăl)
• Catalan: impudent (ca), impertinent (ca), insolent (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 放肆 (zh) (fàngsì)

• Crimean Tatar: arsız
• Czech: drzý (cs), nestydatý (cs), nestoudný (cs)
• Danish: næsvis, uforskammet
• Dutch: brutaal (nl)
• Esperanto: aroganta, senhonta
• Finnish: röyhkeä (fi), häpeämätön (fi), hävytön (fi), julkea (fi)
• French: impudent (fr), impertinent (fr)
• Georgian: უპატივცემულო (uṗaṭivcemulo), თავხედი (ka) (tavxedi), უტიფარი (uṭipari), ურცხვი (urcxvi)
• German: frech (de), respektlos (de), schamlos (de), impertinent (de), dreist (de), unverfroren (de), unverschämt (de)
• Greek: θρασύς (el) (thrasýs)
• Hungarian: szemtelen (hu), pimasz (hu), arcátlan (hu)
• Indonesian: lancang (id), kurang ajar (id)
• Irish: aisfhreagrach, anbhal, athchainteach, dailtíneach, deiliúsach, gíománta, neamhshotalach, ogmartha, seiceallach, smuilcíneach, soibealta, sotalach, streabhógach
• Italian: impertinente (it), sfrontato (it), impudente (it)
• Latin: procax, impudens
• Limburgish: vrech (li)
• Macedonian: др́зок (dŕzok), на́хален (náhalen)
• Māori: tahataha
• Norwegian: uforskammet (no)
• Persian: گستاخ (fa) (gostâx), بی‌ادب (fa) (bi-adab)
• Plautdietsch: onheeflich, onveschämt
• Polish: bezczelny (pl), arogancki (pl), bezwstydny (pl), hucpiarski, impertynencki (pl), tupeciarski, zuchwały (pl)
• Portuguese: impudente (pt), insolente (pt), descarado (pt)
• Russian: де́рзкий (ru) (dérzkij), наха́льный (ru) (naxálʹnyj), на́глый (ru) (náglyj)
• Slovak: drzý, bezočivý
• Spanish: descarado (es), fresco (es) (colloquial), impudente (es)
• Swedish: näsvis (sv), uppnosig (sv), oförskämd (sv)
• Tagalog: dansay
• Thai: ทะลึ่ง (th) (tá-lʉ̂ng), อาจเอื้อม (th) (àat-ʉ̂ʉam), หยาบคาย (th) (yàap-kaai)
• Turkish: arsız (tr)
• Ukrainian: наха́бний m (naxábnyj), зухва́лий m (zuxvályj), зухва́льний m (zuxválʹnyj), безсоромний (uk) m (bezsoromnyj)

immodest — see immodest

Further reading

• “impudent”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
• Douglas Harper (2001–2026), “impudent (adj.)”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.
• John A. Simpson and Edmund S. C. Weiner, editors (1989), “impudent, a. (n.)”, in The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd edition, Oxford: Clarendon Press, →ISBN.
• William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin Eli Smith, editors (1895–1910), “impudent”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC.

Catalan

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin impudentem.

Adjective

impudent m or f (masculine and feminine plural impudents)

1. impudent

Derived terms

• impudentment

Related terms

• impudència

Further reading

• “impudent”, in Diccionari de la llengua catalana [Dictionary of the Catalan Language] (in Catalan), second edition, Institute of Catalan Studies [Catalan: Institut d'Estudis Catalans], April 2007
• “impudent”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2026
• “impudent” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• Alcover, Antoni Maria; Moll, Francesc de Borja (1963), “impudent”, in Diccionari català-valencià-balear (in Catalan)

French

Etymology

Inherited from Middle French impudent, from Latin impudentem.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɛ̃.py.dɑ̃/

• Audio:

  (file)

Adjective

impudent (feminine impudente, masculine plural impudents, feminine plural impudentes)

1. impudent

Related terms

• impudence

Further reading

• “impudent”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012

Middle English

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin impudēns.

Adjective

impudent

1. shameless, immodest

References

• “impudent, adj.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.

Middle French

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin impudēns.

Adjective

impudent m (feminine singular impudente, masculine plural impudens, feminine plural impudentes)

1. impudent