Adjacent Words

Importunate definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

IMPORT'UNATE, a. [L. importunus. See Importune.]
1. Bearing on; pressing or urging in request or demand; urgent and pertinacious in solicitation; as an importunate suitor or petitioner.
2. Pressing; urgent; as an importunate demand.
3. Inciting urgently for gratification; as importunate passions and appetites.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

adj
1: expressing earnest entreaty; "an importunate job applicant"

Merriam Webster's

adjective Date: 1528 1. troublesomely urgent ; overly persistent in request or demand <importunate creditors> 2. troublesome • importunately adverb • importunateness noun

Oxford Reference Dictionary

adj. 1 making persistent or pressing requests. 2 (of affairs) urgent. Derivatives: importunately adv. importunity n. Etymology: L importunus inconvenient (as IN-(1), portunus f. portus harbour)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Importunate Im*por"tu*nate, a. [See Importune.] 1. Troublesomely urgent; unreasonably solicitous; overpressing in request or demand; urgent; teasing; as, an impotunate petitioner, curiosity. --Whewell. 2. Hard to be borne; unendurable. [R.] --Donne. -- Im*por"tu*nate*ly, adv. -- Im*por"tu*nate*ness, n.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

If you describe someone as importunate, you think they are annoying because they keep trying to get something from you. (FORMAL) His secretary shielded him from importunate visitors. = troublesome ADJ [disapproval]

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

a. Urgent, pertinacious, pressing, teasing, busy, earnestly solicitous.

Moby Thesaurus

aggravating, annoying, bothering, bothersome, cajoling, choiceless, clamant, clamorous, coaxing, compulsory, controlled, crying, demanding, disturbing, draining, dunning, exacting, exasperating, exigent, exorbitant, extortionate, firm-minded, forward, galling, grasping, harassing, imperative, importune, independent, insistent, instant, irking, irksome, irritating, loud, mandatory, nagging, necessary, necessitous, obligatory, persistent, pertinacious, pesky, pestering, pestiferous, pestilent, pestilential, plaguesome, plaguey, plaguing, pressing, provoking, pushy, self-asserting, self-assertive, self-controlled, self-expressive, self-possessed, self-restrained, strong-minded, strong-willed, taxing, teasing, tiresome, tormenting, troublesome, troubling, urgent, vexatious, vexing, wearisome, wheedling, without choice, worrisome, worrying