as in impudent
displaying or marked by rude boldness
an appallingly insolent reply to a reasonable request
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in nuisance
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of insolent
Fatemeh Fannizadeh, Forbes, 18 Oct. 2024
Bullock’s John Hotham is forced to manage an uprising of rogue military personal and armed insurgents on a semi-fictional January 6, 2025 that makes the real-life January 6, 2021 seem like insolent child’s play.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 14 June 2024
Over the last two decades, Chinese relations with North Korea have deteriorated drastically behind the scenes, as China has tired of North Korea’s insolent behavior and reassessed its own interests on the peninsula.
—Oriana Skylar Mastro, Foreign Affairs, 12 Dec. 2017
This chicanery makes Leave the World Behind the most insolent executive-office musing ever committed to film — a full-out assault on the nation’s people.
—Armond White, National Review, 10 Apr. 2024
See All Example Sentences for insolent
Noun
Her subversive and dominating personality, and sometimes insolent rhetoric in her active X presence set her apart from the likes of other female AI chatbots, such as Siri whose aim is to assist and serve.
—Fatemeh Fannizadeh, Forbes, 18 Oct. 2024
Bullock’s John Hotham is forced to manage an uprising of rogue military personal and armed insurgents on a semi-fictional January 6, 2025 that makes the real-life January 6, 2021 seem like insolent child’s play.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 14 June 2024
Over the last two decades, Chinese relations with North Korea have deteriorated drastically behind the scenes, as China has tired of North Korea’s insolent behavior and reassessed its own interests on the peninsula.
—Oriana Skylar Mastro, Foreign Affairs, 12 Dec. 2017
This chicanery makes Leave the World Behind the most insolent executive-office musing ever committed to film — a full-out assault on the nation’s people.
—Armond White, National Review, 10 Apr. 2024
See All Example Sentences for insolent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for insolent
Adjective
-
Gemma reluctantly agrees to rebuild her impudent robot in a new body, and the sequel ends with an explosive showdown between Amelia and M3GAN, who nearly dies in a noble attempt to save Gemma and her niece, Cady (Violet McGraw).—
Patrick Ryan,
USA Today,
29 June 2025
-
One chord appears to speak to the other, sounding almost impudent in their simplicity, equal parts ecstatic and heartbreakingly melancholic.—
Sam Davies,
Rolling Stone,
10 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Last month, Los Angeles city officials declared these properties a public nuisance because of their failure to take action to clean up debris.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
10 July 2025
-
The cicadas swarming in and around Cincinnati can be a nuisance.—
Chad Murphy,
The Enquirer,
2 July 2025
Adjective
-
Other characters include a talkative nurse, a wise parrot named Leonard, and a grumpy cat named Bitchy.—
Duante Beddingfield,
Freep.com,
30 July 2025
-
Chekhov’s imagination is too wise and subtle for that.—
Philip Metres
July 30,
Literary Hub,
30 July 2025
Noun
-
Evil is insolent and strong; beauty enchanting but rare; goodness very apt to be weak; folly very apt to be defiant; wickedness to carry the day; imbeciles to be in great places, people of sense in small, and mankind generally unhappy.—
Sam Sacks,
WSJ,
18 Nov. 2016
-
Hard to accept that these imbeciles represent the people in our government.—
Kelefa Sanneh,
The New Yorker,
5 Feb. 2016
Adjective
-
Azerbaijan, meanwhile, has reportedly attempted to persuade its lobbyists not to register under FARA, in brazen defiance of the law.—
Robert Schmad,
The Washington Examiner,
28 July 2025
-
And the governor with such brazen contempt for public records laws is also suddenly a champion of transparency, demanding a mountain of documents from Broward on nine days’ notice.—
Steve Bousquet,
Sun Sentinel,
26 July 2025
Noun
-
These pop-punk princes were green brats long before the 365 party girl.—
Ana Gutierrez,
Austin American Statesman,
2 July 2025
-
Outside Greentown Tavern, a cook was barbequing hot dogs and brats, while people spent a few dollars throwing three balls at a button to drop a volunteer into a dunk tank.—
Steve Sadin,
Chicago Tribune,
14 July 2025
Adjective
-
However, stablecoin issuers that get cocky with those principles can suffer their own meltdowns: In 2022, the now-bankrupt firm Terra saw its TerraUSD stablecoin collapse in one of that year's biggest tech failures.—
Rob Pegoraro,
PC Magazine,
18 July 2025
-
Jimmy, boyish and cocky as ever, proves a real asset thanks to his clandestine connection with Lex’s fashionista, selfie-snapping girlfriend Eve (Sara Sampaio).—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
8 July 2025
Adjective
-
This season encourages spiritual growth, embracing your voice, and taking bold steps toward a broader vision.—
Alexis Simmerman,
Austin American Statesman,
24 July 2025
-
Christina Aguilera is seen on July 22 with a bold red lip at The Savoy Theatre for the world premiere of Burlesque: The Musical in London.—
Alexandra Schonfeld,
People.com,
24 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Insolent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/insolent. Accessed 5 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share