impertinence.

Speech or behavior that is inappropriately bold or disrespectful.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• sheer impertinence
• youthful impertinence

On the page

The chair mistook her question for impertinence.

Usage notes

Primary category: literary / elevated general. Forms: Countable or uncountable by context; countable singular impertinence; plural impertinences. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Established modern English lexical item. No separate regional spelling or grammatical inflection entry. Commonness: moderately common.