Irreverence is a playful or bold lack of respect for things that are usually treated seriously or solemnly. When a comedian shows irreverence toward politicians by making jokes about them, she's refusing to treat them with the usual formal respect. When a cartoonist draws irreverent pictures of historical figures, he might show them in silly situations instead of the dignified poses we see in textbooks.

Irreverence isn't the same as being cruel or truly disrespectful. It's more about questioning whether something deserves to be treated as untouchable or sacred. Some of history's greatest thinkers, artists, and inventors showed irreverence toward old ideas that many people around them accepted without question. Benjamin Franklin's writings often had an irreverent tone, poking fun at the stuffy conventions of his time.

You might show irreverence by questioning a rule that doesn't make sense, or by making a lighthearted joke about something everyone else is taking too seriously. But there's a difference between healthy irreverence and meanness: irreverence challenges pomposity and pretension, while true disrespect tears down things that genuinely matter, like another person's dignity. An irreverent student might joke about a silly school tradition, but wouldn't mock a classmate's sincere effort.