impolite Hear it!

impolite Definition

im·po·lite (im′pə līt)

adjective

not polite; ill-mannered; discourteous

Etymology: L impolitus, unpolished

impolite Related Forms

im′·po·litely adverb im′·po·lite·ness noun

impolite Synonyms

impolite

modif.

discourteous, ill-mannered, indelicate; see rude 2. See syn. study at rude.

impolite Usage Examples

Infinitive complement

  • refuse: It is viewed as impolite to refuse an offer of Greek coffee or a cold drink.
  • leave: It's lazy and impolite to leave the header blank, so don't be surprised if the message is deleted without being read.
  • mention: I suppose it is impolite to mention it, but it was George Bush the First who let Saddam Hussein get away.
  • tell: It would have been unkind and impolite to tell them that sometimes he welcomed the chance to be separate from them.
  • say: I suppose it would be impolite to say its just been a resounding failure... .
  • use: It is considered impolite to use the left hand for passing or accepting things.

Modifying Another Word

  • so: Oops, I forgot to introduce myself before... I'm so impolite.
  • rather: The rather impolite visitor managed to escape the authorities only to be shipwrecked and lost at sea.
  • extremely: This would be extremely impolite and Mr. Miyazawa could never say such a thing directly to an individual of such prestige.
  • not: Our own rather meager English greetings seem skimpy, if not impolite, to the African ear.
  • quite: It's one of those books that follows you around, screaming its existence in a way that really seems quite impolite.

Used with adjective complement

  • consider: You have found it was considered impolite to drink during your meal.
  • seem: I started sleeping with Joseph because it seemed almost impolite not to.
  • deem: It was deemed impolite if people receiving a horse as a gift checked its teeth.
  • appear: And I won't be able to take any notes for fear of appearing impolite.

Modifies a noun

word: They are so touchy they will not brook even a single harsh or impolite word.