Impudent means boldly disrespectful or shamelessly rude, especially toward someone who deserves courtesy or respect. When a student talks back to their teacher with a smirk, that's impudent behavior. When someone interrupts adults with sarcastic comments during a serious conversation, they're being impudent.

The word captures a particular kind of rudeness: deliberate disrespect delivered with confidence or even swagger. An impudent person breaks rules of politeness and seems proud of doing it. If a younger sibling rolls their eyes at a parent's instruction and says “whatever” in a mocking tone, that impudence combines disrespect with a cocky attitude.

Impudent often describes how someone speaks or acts toward authority figures: teachers, parents, bosses, or elders. The related noun impudence describes this quality: “The coach wouldn't tolerate impudence from players who challenged his decisions with sneers instead of respectful questions.”

Notice the difference between confidence and impudence. Confident people stand up for themselves respectfully. Impudent people disregard basic courtesy and treat others as if they're not worth respecting. That distinction matters, because how you disagree with someone says as much about you as what you disagree about.