Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- adjective Impudently bold in speech or manner; saucy.
- noun An impudent, saucy person.
from The Century Dictionary.
- Characterized by pertness or impudence; saucy; impudent; bold; forward.
- noun A pert, saucy person.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- adjective Bold; forward; impudent; saucy; pert.
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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A child's outcry, more "malapert" than the priest, called the attention of the lingerers, and before any one knew, the passion of destruction had seized like a frenzy upon the people.
Royal Edinburgh Her Saints, Kings, Prophets and Poets George Reid 1862
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Margerate has great lines through out though- calling Elizabeth 'pale painted queen, vain flourish of my fortune' and saying to Dorset 'master marquess you are malapert, your fire stamp of honour is scarce current'.
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“Thou art ill-advised, thou malapert boy,” replied the steward, “to speak to me in such fashion; but I shall inform my Lady of thine insolence.”
The Abbot 2008
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Go to, sir, know yourself, or the master of the household shall make you know you are liable to the scourge as a malapert boy.
The Abbot 2008
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“What, ho! is my young master malapert?” said Christie;
The Monastery 2008
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“And you, too, are malapert, mistress!” said the Lady;
The Abbot 2008
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Conrade Horst forced his way over moat and wall, must thou be malapert? —
Quentin Durward 2008
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I do approve that of St. Ambrose (Comment. in Genesis xxiv. 51), which he hath written touching Rebecca's spousals, A woman should give unto her parents the choice of her husband, [5876] lest she be reputed to be malapert and wanton, if she take upon her to make her own choice; [5877] for she should rather seem to be desired by a man, than to desire a man herself.
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But of all those astrological aphorisms which I have ever read, that of Cardan is most memorable, for which howsoever he is bitterly censured by [4763] Marinus Marcennus, a malapert friar, and some others (which [4764] he himself suspected) yet methinks it is free, downright, plain and ingenious.
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He is ill, and suffering doubtless under the fear of our displeasure, from which he hath been honestly cleared by the frank avowal of this malapert boy.
Kenilworth 2004
reesetee commented on the word malapert
(Noun) A presumptuous or saucy person. (Adj.) Of a person, quality, action, etc.: presumptuous, impudent, saucy.
February 12, 2008
ruzuzu commented on the word malapert
Do we have a -pert list somewhere?
July 16, 2015
slumry commented on the word malapert
a quick search of some -pert words suggests that there is no list.
July 16, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word malapert
I'd hate to be seen as impertinent. Here's a perty list for our amusement.
July 16, 2015