| Definitions | | impertinent |
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adjective - irrelevant (opposite of pertinent)
- insolent, ill-mannered
Usage Note: Although historically sense (1) was original (derived from French below), over time meaning switched to sense (2).
However, more recently meaning has swung back to (1). (As people have used the word less, its
latter and somewhat illogical meaning has declined in favour of the earlier and more logical one.) However, many older speakers will consider sense (1) incorrect. Some therefore suggest avoiding the word altogether; the construction "not pertinent" may be used as an alternative.
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