insolent
adjective
in·so·lent
ˈin(t)-s(ə-)lənt 
1
: insultingly contemptuous in speech or conduct : overbearing
2
: exhibiting boldness or effrontery : impudent
insolent
noun
insolently
adverb
Synonyms
Examples of insolent in a Sentence
… the tempos were all-out fast and the tone was flat-out insolent. To some, rock-and-roll was as threatening as Communism and desegregation.
—
Margo Jefferson, New York Times, 26 Oct. 1994
Sweating, cursing the whole Mickey Mouse operation, they paced themselves with their own insolent complaints while the foreman cursed loudest …
—Jayne Anne Phillips, Granta, Spring 1991
They could go days without food or water; they could withstand burning heat … ; and if they were horribly cruel to their captives, they could themselves accept torture with insolent defiance.
—James A. Michener, Texas, 1985
Insolent behavior will not be tolerated.
an appallingly insolent reply to a reasonable request
Margo Jefferson, New York Times, 26 Oct. 1994
Sweating, cursing the whole Mickey Mouse operation, they paced themselves with their own insolent complaints while the foreman cursed loudest …
—Jayne Anne Phillips, Granta, Spring 1991
They could go days without food or water; they could withstand burning heat … ; and if they were horribly cruel to their captives, they could themselves accept torture with insolent defiance.
—James A. Michener, Texas, 1985
Insolent behavior will not be tolerated.
an appallingly insolent reply to a reasonable request
Recent Examples on the Web
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
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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
Dictionary Entries Near insolent
Cite this Entry
“Insolent.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/insolent. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
insolent
adjective
in·so·lent
ˈin(t)-s(ə-)lənt
1
: disrespectful or rude in speech or conduct
an insolent child
2
: showing boldness or rudeness
an insolent act
insolently
adverb
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