insolent

insolent

English

Etymology

PIE word
*swé

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

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈɪn.sə.lənt/

• Audio (RP)

  (file)

• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈɪn.sə.lənt/

Adjective

insolent (comparative more insolent, superlative most insolent)

1. Insulting in manner or words, particularly in an arrogant or insubordinate manner.

   Synonyms: arrogant, bold, cocky, impudent

2. Rude.
   • 1907 August, Robert W[illiam] Chambers, chapter VI, in The Younger Set, New York, N.Y.: D. Appleton & Company, OCLC 24962326:

     “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, […]!”

   Synonyms: disrespectful, impertinent, insubordinate, offensive

   insolent behaviour

   insolent child

   insolent remark

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:cheeky
• See also Thesaurus:arrogant

Derived terms

• insolently

Related terms

• insolence
• insolency

 

Translations

insulting in manner or words

Armenian: անպատկառ (hy) (anpatkaṙ), հանդուգն (hy) (handugn) Belarusian: наха́бны (naxábny), зухва́льскі (zuxválʹski), дзёрзкі (dzjórzki) Bulgarian: наха́лен (bg) (nahálen), арога́нтен (bg) (arogánten) Catalan: insolent (ca) Czech: drzý (cs), hrubý (cs) Dutch: brutaal (nl) Finnish: loukkaava (fi), röyhkeä (fi) French: insolent (fr) Galician: insolente (gl) German: beleidigend (de), verletzend (de) Greek: αυθάδης (el) (afthádis) Ancient: αὐθάδης (authádēs) Hungarian: szemtelen (hu), pökhendi (hu) Indonesian: kurang ajar (id) Interlingua: insolente Irish: drochmhúinte Italian: insolente (it) Kabuverdianu: atrividu, atrevide Latin: insolens, procax Macedonian: наха́лен (nahálen), др́зок (dŕzok) Manx: neuyeeillagh, mooaralagh, daaney Maori: whakatīkai, toroihi Occitan: insolent (oc) Plautdietsch: schwiendriest Polish: bezczelny (pl), arogancki (pl), bezwstydny (pl), hucpiarski, impertynencki (pl), rozpanoszony, rozzuchwalony, tupeciarski, zuchwały (pl) Portuguese: insolente (pt) Russian: высокоме́рный (ru) (vysokomérnyj) (arrogant), наха́льный (ru) (naxálʹnyj), на́глый (ru) (náglyj), де́рзкий (ru) (dérzkij), вызыва́ющий (ru) (vyzyvájuščij) (defiant) Slovak: bezočivý, hrubý, drzý Spanish: insolente (es) Ukrainian: наха́бний (naxábnyj), зухва́лий (zuxvályj), зухва́льний (zuxválʹnyj)

rude

Belarusian: наха́бны (naxábny), зухва́льскі (zuxválʹski), дзёрзкі (dzjórzki) Bulgarian: на́гъл (bg) (nágǎl), дъ́рзък (bg) (dǎ́rzǎk), наха́лен (bg) (nahálen) Catalan: insolent (ca) Dutch: brutaal (nl) Finnish: tyly (fi), röyhkeä (fi) French: insolent (fr) German: anmaßend (de), überheblich (de), frech (de), dreist (de), ungebührlich (de), unverschämt (de), unverfroren (de), kaltschnäuzig (de), dummdreist (de), dummfrech, patzig (de), vorlaut (de), insolent (de) Hungarian: arcátlan (hu), pimasz (hu) Indonesian: bajingan (id) Interlingua: insolente Italian: insolente (it) Kabuverdianu: atrividu, atrevide Polish: niegrzeczny (pl), chamski (pl), zuchwały (pl) Portuguese: insolente (pt) Russian: наха́льный (ru) (naxálʹnyj), на́глый (ru) (náglyj), де́рзкий (ru) (dérzkij), гру́бый (ru) (grúbyj) (rude) Slovak: hrubý, drzý Swedish: oförskämd (sv) Ukrainian: наха́бний (naxábnyj), зухва́лий (zuxvályj), зухва́льний (zuxválʹnyj)

Noun

insolent (plural insolents)

1. A person who is insolent.
   • 1748, [Samuel Richardson], “Letter LXXVIII”, in Clarissa. Or, The History of a Young Lady: […], volume (please specify |volume=I to VII), London: […] S[amuel] Richardson; […], OCLC 13631815:

     What a way do you put yourself in miss! said the insolent.

   • 2010, Louisa Shea, The Cynic Enlightenment: Diogenes in the Salon (page 7)

     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 […]

Further reading

• insolent in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
• insolent in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911
• insolent at OneLook Dictionary Search

Anagrams

• Neilston

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Catalan

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin īnsolēns, attested from 1653.[1]

Pronunciation

• (Balearic, Valencian) IPA^(key): /in.soˈlent/
• (Central) IPA^(key): /in.suˈlen/

Adjective

insolent (masculine and feminine plural insolents)

1. insolent

Derived terms

• insolentment

Related terms

• insolència

References

1. “insolent”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2023

Further reading

• “insolent” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
• “insolent” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “insolent” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

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French

Etymology

Semi-learned borrowing from Latin īnsolēns.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɛ̃.sɔ.lɑ̃/

• Audio (Paris)

  (file)

• Audio

  (file)

• Homophone: insolents

Adjective

insolent (feminine insolente, masculine plural insolents, feminine plural insolentes)

1. insolent

Derived terms

• insolemment

Related terms

• insolence

Descendants

• → Romanian: insolent

Further reading

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

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Occitan

Etymology

From Latin insolens.

Adjective

insolent m (feminine singular insolenta, masculine plural insolents, feminine plural insolentas)

1. insolent

Derived terms

• insolentament

Related terms

• insoléncia

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Romanian

Etymology

From French insolent, from Latin insolens.

Adjective

insolent m or n (feminine singular insolentă, masculine plural insolenți, feminine and neuter plural insolente)

1. insolent

Declension

Declension of insolent

		singular			plural
		masculine	neuter	feminine	masculine	neuter	feminine
nominative/ accusative	indefinite	insolent		insolentă	insolenți	insolente
	definite	insolentul		insolenta	insolenții	insolentele
genitive/ dative	indefinite	insolent		insolente	insolenți	insolente
	definite	insolentului		insolentei	insolenților	insolentelor