Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun An importunate request; an insistent or pressing demand.
- noun The quality of being importunate.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun Unseasonableness; inopportunity.
- noun The act or state of being importunate; pertinacity in solicitation or demand; persistent urgency or insistence.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun The quality of being importunate; pressing or pertinacious solicitation; urgent request; incessant or frequent application; troublesome pertinacity.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun obsolete
Unseasonableness ; an unsuitable or inappropriate time. - noun A constant and
insistent demanding .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun insistent solicitation and entreaty
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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The word importunity denotes perseverance in an object, without any regard to time, place, or circumstances -- an improper perseverance.
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His messenger was not prepossessing in appearance, nor indeed did he commend himself to one's too alert olfactory sensibilities; but he was very insistent, and, after all, importunity is still what prevails most with us.
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Her importunity was provoking to the judge, and she might fear lest it should set him more against her; but our importunity is pleasing to
Commentary on the Whole Bible Volume V (Matthew to John) 1721
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Our importunity is a part of God's answer, both of His answer to us and ours to Him...
E-Mails to God and Glenn Beck James F. McGrath 2010
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She was certain now that what she could only call his importunity had proved somehow disastrous to Rodney Lanyon.
The Flaw in the Crystal May Sinclair 1904
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This attitude is the "importunity" Christ refers to in the parable of Lu 11: 8.
Exposition of Genesis: Volume 1 1892-1972 1942
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His was the holy 'importunity' which Jesus sent forth for our imitation.
Expositions of Holy Scripture Alexander Maclaren 1868
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"importunity," signifies freedom from the bashfulness which cannot ask a second time.
The Parables of Our Lord William Arnot
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Let our mere prayers for peace be made acceptable by our actions, by our willingness to shed the pride and importunity that keeps us trying to have our way with drone strikes and night raids.
Nathan Schneider: The Kabul Scarf: A New Year Reflection On The War In Afghanistan Nathan Schneider 2011
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“I assured them of my entire disposition to supply Money to them as fast as possible,” Morris recorded in his diary, “and if at any time it is detained longer than it ought I begged they would exert themselves and support me instead of plaguing and Distressing me with importunity.”
Robert Morris Charles Rappleye 2010
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