as in impudent
displaying or marked by rude boldness
an appallingly insolent reply to a reasonable request
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in nuisance
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of insolent
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
Buy Now Homesick Barbie Dreamhouse Candle Diptyque Amber Candle
Evoke the aura of a cackling fire with this woody scent from Diptyque, which features notes of wood, vetiver and patchouli enhanced with radiant aniseed, insolent spices, mysterious incense, cistus and tonka bean.
—Anna Tingley, Variety, 23 Feb. 2024
Streisand’s performance remains unmatched, even now, for its insolent weirdness.
—Rachel Syme, The New Yorker, 14 Nov. 2023
See All Example Sentences for insolent
Adjective
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
Buy Now Homesick Barbie Dreamhouse Candle Diptyque Amber Candle
Evoke the aura of a cackling fire with this woody scent from Diptyque, which features notes of wood, vetiver and patchouli enhanced with radiant aniseed, insolent spices, mysterious incense, cistus and tonka bean.
—Anna Tingley, Variety, 23 Feb. 2024
Streisand’s performance remains unmatched, even now, for its insolent weirdness.
—Rachel Syme, The New Yorker, 14 Nov. 2023
See All Example Sentences for insolent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for insolent
Adjective
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Fortunately, Snow White’s newfound enlightenment does not deny her the possibility of romance, although princes are now strictly off-limits; her love interest here is a fetchingly impudent bandit, Jonathan (Andrew Burnap), who is leading a scrappy rebellion against the Evil Queen.—
Justin Chang,
The New Yorker,
22 Mar. 2025
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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
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Several hundred additional complaints by public school districts across the US claim the platforms have created a public nuisance that’s undermining the educational system.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
4 Apr. 2025
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At first, the un-washable Fisk murals are a nuisance to the new mayor, but there are ways to take advantage of the situation.—
Ben Rosenstock,
Vulture,
25 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Mid-soul-searching, a wise friend suggested something.—
Jed Brewer,
Rolling Stone,
1 Apr. 2025
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Getting struck by lightning might not sound like a very wise idea to us, but for one tropical tree species, an occasional zap is a good thing.—
Sara Hashemi,
Smithsonian Magazine,
31 Mar. 2025
Noun
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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
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The most alarming misbehavior was brazen dishonesty.—
Steven Levy,
Wired News,
28 Mar. 2025
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If that seems brazen, don’t forget: The Big Ten and SEC used the threat of forming their own football postseason event as a means of seizing control of the College Football Playoff governance structure.—
Jon Wilner,
Mercury News,
28 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Stunning stat: The new kiosks could speed up checkout for ballpark essentials — brats, fries, cheese curds and drinks — by as much as 40%, Delaware North manager Pete Spike told Axios.—
Kyle Stokes,
Axios,
1 Apr. 2025
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Trachtenberg, whose death at 39 was announced on February 26, spent much of her career playing the most likable version of a precocious brat, a know-it-all who gets away with just about everything thanks to her doe eyes and charisma.—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
26 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Before that storm has even passed, for example, cocky doc Tom Cole (Pennyworth‘s Jack Bannon) manages to get wrapped up in a love triangle with two female colleagues, planting kisses on them in separate wings of the hospital.—
Rebecca Luther,
TVLine,
3 Apr. 2025
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Read more: Friends and Admirers Pay Tribute to Hollywood ‘Icon’ Val Kilmer In 1986, in only his fourth movie role, Kilmer played a cocky pilot who easily intimidated even Tom Cruise’s smirky-confident hotshot Maverick, but even then, his macho swagger was roguish and playful.—
Stephanie Zacharek,
Time,
2 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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On paper, this might sound like a bold step toward addressing the climate crisis.—
George Peppas,
Oc Register,
7 Apr. 2025
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Sticking with the same formula is a bold move for Nintendo, which rarely does the same thing twice.—
Lisa Eadicicco,
CNN Money,
7 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Insolent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/insolent. Accessed 13 Apr. 2025.
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