Basic Details
Word: Insolent
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Rude and showing no respect, often on purpose.
Synonyms: rude, impudent, cheeky, disrespectful
Antonyms: polite, respectful, courteous
How to Spell Insolent
Syllables: in - so - lent
Tricky part: It ends in -ent, not -ant. The weak middle vowel tempts students to write insalent or insulent.
Watch out for: insolant, insalent, insulent
Memory tip: The word finishes with lent, as in I lent you my pen. Picture a boy being insolent to the friend who lent him a pen.
Usage Examples
Example 1: The insolent customer shouted at the shop assistant for no reason.
Example 2: Lata was shocked by her cousin's insolent tone with the elders.
Example 3: An insolent reply will only make the umpire more strict.
Fun Fact
Insolent and insolvent look alike but are not related in meaning: an insolvent business is one that cannot pay its debts.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Connection
Choose the antonym of the word insolent as used in the sentence:
The insolent shopkeeper laughed at the old man's simple question.
a) respectful
b) cheeky
c) arrogant
d) rude
Show answer
a) respectful. Rude, cheeky and arrogant all describe the shopkeeper; a respectful one would never laugh at the question.
Mingle-Mangle
Rearrange the jumbled letters in the sentence to form the right word:
The tolsenin reply earned him a week of detention.
a) insolent
b) insulted
c) indolent
d) insolvent
Show answer
a) insolent. There is no v, d or u in the jumble, so insolvent, indolent and insulted cannot be made from it.
Word Cookie
Find the misspelt word in the sentence:
When the prefect asked him to stop running in the corridor, the boy gave an insolant shrug and kept going towards the canteen.
a) canteen
b) corridor
c) insolant
d) prefect
Show answer
c) insolant. Insolent shares its ending with insolence, so both keep an e after the l.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. An insolent remark is one that is ____.
a) funny and clever
b) long and boring
c) rude and disrespectful
d) kind and gentle
Show answer
c) rude and disrespectful
2. Which person is behaving in an insolent way?
a) a player who waits for the umpire's signal
b) a player who asks the umpire to explain
c) a player who mocks the umpire's call
d) a player who shakes the umpire's hand
Show answer
c) a player who mocks the umpire's call
