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Glite Dictionary
importunate

importunate

1 9.9
Annoying because someone keeps asking for something
  • adjective
  • /ˌɪmpərˈtjuːnɪt/
  • Formal
translation icon : insistente
  • Your ideas and wishes are totally irrelevant, and are really, in fact, importunate and quite impertinent.

Examples

  • Jason, Doug, take our importunate young vampire up to the sun porch and chain him there.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • She found his importunate requests for help to be quite overwhelming.

  • I promise not to be importunate with you.

    Fiction book (2001)

  • I have never been importunate.

    Fiction book (2001)

  • "Luke!" Her importunate tone stopped him.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • The sound came to her, discordant and importunate.

    Fiction book (1999)

  • If he had not been so importunate, then his faith truly could have been counted as folly.

    Academic text (2008)

  • Afraid of being importunate.

    The House of Mirth (2000)

  • Another long ring sounded, and another, while I lay in my apathy, wishing the importunate caller away.

    Fiction book (1998)

  • The importunate child kept asking for a toy, unable to take no for an answer.

Synonyms

insistent
vsimportunate
50 4.1

Demanding attention or action again and again in a firm way

press by repeated annoying requests rather than by force
pestering
vsimportunate
3.2

A person who annoys another person by asking again and again

focuses on repeated requests and demands rather than general annoyance
houndy
vsimportunate
8.8

Constantly bothering someone by following or asking them

uses repeated verbal requests and annoying pleas rather than physical pursuit

Antonyms

submissive
38 5.1

Willing to obey others and not argue

unassertive
1 6.2

Not confident about saying what you think or want

How Insistent

importunate
  • Formal
1 9.9
pushy
  • Informal
75 5.0
insistent
50 4.1
assertive
42 4.2

Surface Forms

importunate positive

Morphology

importunate = importune (transparent) = importune + ate

The adjective is formed from the verb 'importune' with the productive adjectival suffix '-ate', retaining the sense of persistent or urgent solicitation.

Etymology

Importunate comes from Latin parts in- ('not') and opportune ('suitable' or 'convenient'), so it originally meant 'not convenient'. So think of someone who keeps asking at a bad time and will not stop: an importunate person is annoyingly insistent and makes repeated demands.