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''insolent'' ▫ᴱᴺ｜Definition｜1st｜20260320113731-00-⌔

insolent - Wiktionary, the free dictionary

English

Adjective

insolent (comparative more insolent, superlative most insolent)

  • Insulting in manner or words, particularly in an arrogant or insubordinate manner.
    • ✤ Synonym: impudent
    • ✤ Near-synonyms: arrogant, bold, cocky; see also Thesaurus: cheeky
  • Rude.
    • ✤ Synonyms: disrespectful, impertinent, smart
    • ✤ Near-synonyms: insubordinate, offensive; see also Thesaurus: arrogant
    • ✤ * insolent behaviour*
    • ✤ * insolent child*
    • ✤ * insolent remark*
    • ✤ “I don’t mean all of your friends—only a small proportion—which, however, connects your circle with that deadly, idle, brainless bunch—the insolent chatterers at the opera, the gorged dowagers, […] the chlorotic squatters on huge yachts, the speed-mad fugitives from the furies of ennui, the neurotic victims of mental cirrhosus, […]!”1

Noun

insolent (plural insolents)

  • A person who is insolent.
    • ✤ What a way do you put yourself in miss! said the insolent.2
    • ✤ Diogenes Laertius reports that Diogenes was apt to take the identification with the dog at face value, as when he lifted his leg and relieved himself on a group of young insolents who teased him with a dog’s bone […]3

Etymology

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From Middle English, from Old French, from Latin īnsolēns (“unaccustomed, unwanted, unusual, immoderate, excessive, arrogant, insolent”), from in- (privative prefix) + solēns, present participle of solēre (“to be accustomed, to be wont”).

Pronunciation

  • (UK, US) IPA: /ˈɪn.sə.lənt/
  • Audio (Southern England): 🔊

Printed 2026-06-28.

(echo:: @ ⌗)

Footnotes

  1. 1907 August, Robert W[illiam] Chambers, chapter VI, in The Younger Set, New York, N.Y.: D. Appleton & Company, →OCLC: ↩

  2. 1748, [Samuel Richardson], “Letter LXXVIII”, in Clarissa. Or, The History of a Young Lady: […], volume, London: […] S[amuel] Richardson; [a] nd sold by John Osborn, […], →OCLC: ↩

  3. 2010, Louisa Shea, The Cynic Enlightenment: Diogenes in the Salon, page 7: ↩

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Secondary

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