INDEX:
1. rude/not polite
2. when someone is rude to teachers, parents etc
3. when someone speaks to you in a rude way, using very few words
4. someone who behaves rudely
5. to do something rude without seeming ashamed or embarrassed
6. rude and offensive words
7. to use rude and offensive words
RELATED WORDS
opposite
↑ POLITE
to answer someone rudely : ↑ ANSWER (4)
to rudely pretend not to notice someone : ↑ IGNORE (2)
rude jokes : ↑ SEX
see also
↑ INSULT
↑ OFFEND
↑ CRITICIZE
↑ HORRIBLE
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1. rude/not polite
▷ rude /ruːd/ [adjective]
someone who is rude upsets or offends people by not following the rules of good social behaviour and not considering other people’s feelings :
▪ What a rude man! He just ignored me when I said ‘Good morning’.
▪ I don’t mean to be rude, but could you tell your children to keep quiet?
▪ He’s one of the rudest people I’ve ever met.
rude to
▪ I know you’re upset, but there’s no need to be rude to your mother.
rude about
▪ Are you being rude about my cooking?
it is rude to do something
▪ It’s rude to interrupt people when they are speaking.
it is rude of somebody to do something
▪ I thought it was very rude of her not to answer my letter.
rudely [adverb]
▪ Blair rudely pushed his way to the front of the line.
rudeness [uncountable noun]
▪ Please forgive me for my rudeness the other day.
▷ impolite/not polite /ˌɪmpəˈlaɪt, nɒt pəˈlaɪt/ [adjective]
not following the rules of accepted social behaviour, especially when someone does this without realizing it - use this especially about the things that people do or say, rather than about people themselves :
▪ In Senegal it is considered impolite if you do not share your food.
▪ You weren’t very polite to her.
it is impolite/not polite to do something
▪ I was tired, but I thought it might not be polite to leave so early.
▪ It is impolite and inconsiderate for people to drop in uninvited.
▷ tactless /ˈtæktləs/ [adjective]
someone who is tactless upsets or embarrasses someone else, without intending to, by mentioning something that it would be better not to talk about :
▪ I wanted to know about her divorce, but I thought it would be tactless to ask.
▪ She was often tactless and insensitive.
▪ tactless remarks
▷ abrasive /əˈbreɪsɪv/ [adjective]
seeming rude or unkind because you say what you think very directly, so that people are annoyed or offended :
▪ Harris was abrasive and arrogant.
▪ Anson’s abrasive personality has landed her in trouble many times in the past.
▷ bad manners /bæd ˈmænəʳz/ [plural noun]
someone who has bad manners does not behave politely in social situations, for example by not saying ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ :
▪ Marilyn apologized for her husband’s bad manners.
it is bad manners to do something
▪ It is bad manners to talk with your mouth full.
▷ bad-mannered/ill-mannered /ˌbæd ˈmænəʳd◂, ˌɪl ˈmænəʳd◂/ [adjective]
behaving in a rude and unpleasant way, especially because of never having been taught how to be polite :
▪ Her children are incredibly bad-mannered -- she should be more strict with them.
▪ Ill-mannered movie-goers talked and took cell phone calls during the picture.
▪ As soon as some English people go abroad, they seem to change into bad-mannered, insensitive oafs.
▷ discourteous /dɪsˈkɜːʳtiəs/ [adjective] formal
not behaving in a polite way - use this especially about people’s remarks or behaviour :
▪ It would have seemed discourteous to refuse his offer.
discourteous to
▪ He claimed that the officer had been discourteous to him.
▷ be unpleasant /biː ʌnˈplez ə nt/ [verb phrase]
to deliberately behave in a rude and unfriendly way towards someone :
▪ He can be very unpleasant when he’s in a bad mood.
▪ It isn’t necessary to be that unpleasant, Mike.
be unpleasant to
▪ She was shocked at how unpleasant the children were to their mother.
▷ loutish /ˈlaʊtɪʃ/ [adjective]
rude, loud, and unpleasant - use this especially about people’s behaviour :
▪ The behaviour of some politicians in debates is simply loutish and intimidating.
▪ They considered my boyfriend to be loutish and a bit stupid.
▪ loutish behaviour
2. when someone is rude to teachers, parents etc
▷ disrespectful /ˌdɪsrɪˈspektf ə l/ [adjective]
rude, especially towards someone you should respect, for example your parents or someone in authority :
▪ A letter from the school arrived, saying that Joey had been both disobedient and disrespectful.
disrespectful to
▪ In Chinese culture, it is considered disrespectful to both the living and the dead to live near a burial ground.
disrespectful about
British
▪ He thought I was being disrespectful about his country.
it is disrespectful (for somebody) to do something
▪ Some older people think it disrespectful for strangers to call them by their first name.
▷ cheeky /ˈtʃiːki/ [adjective] British
making rude remarks to or asking personal questions of someone you should respect - use this especially about children :
▪ I don’t like teaching that class - the kids are all so cheeky.
▪ What do you mean, I’m fat? You cheeky devil!
▷ impertinent /ɪmˈpɜːʳtɪnənt, ɪmˈpɜːʳtənənt/ [adjective]
rude and showing no respect for someone in authority, especially by saying things or asking questions about something that it is not your right to know or discuss :
▪ By now he had gotten used to reporters’ impertinent questions about his private life.
▪ Could I ask how old you are, or would that be impertinent?
impertinence [uncountable noun]
▪ He had the impertinence to suggest I was not raising my children properly.
▪ We will not tolerate such impertinence.
▷ impudent /ˈɪmpjɑd ə nt/ [adjective] formal
someone who is impudent, especially a child or young person, is rude and has no respect for people who are older or more important :
▪ She didn’t think the child’s questions were endearing -- just impudent.
▪ On the cover was a picture on an impudent boy sticking out his tongue.
impudence [uncountable noun]
▪ He looked at me with a mixture of impudence and hostility.
▷ insolent /ˈɪns ə lənt/ [adjective] formal
very rude to someone in authority and appearing to have no respect for them, especially by not doing what they tell you to do :
▪ Although she didn’t actually say anything offensive, her expression was sulky, insolent, and hostile.
insolence [uncountable noun]
▪ When I was young, such insolence would not have been tolerated.
▷ sassy /ˈsæsi/ [adjective] American
if a young person is sassy, they are not polite to teachers, parents, or other people in authority, especially because they argue or try to be funny when someone tells them what to do :
▪ She was sassy and smart, and all the kids liked her.
▪ Becky was a sassy, rambunctious New York girl he’d met when visiting his aunt.
▪ a sassy brat
▷ disrespect /ˌdɪsrɪˈspekt/ [transitive verb]
to offend or behave in a rude way towards someone :
▪ The ambassador said it had not been his intention to disrespect the US government.
▪ Some students do feel that teachers disrespect them.
▷ diss /dɪs/ [transitive verb] spoken informal
to criticize someone rudely :
▪ Just don’t diss my little brother, OK?
▪ Politicians are always dissing football supporters.
3. when someone speaks to you in a rude way, using very few words
▷ curt /kɜːʳt/ [adjective]
replying in very few words in a way that seems rude :
▪ She answered their questions with a curt ‘No comment’.
▪ Polly was curt and businesslike with her clients.
▪ Her story was sent back with a curt rejection note.
curtly [adverb]
▪ ‘That will be all, thank you,’ said Mrs Rice curtly.
▷ terse /tɜːʳs/ [adjective usually before noun]
a terse message, reply, statement etc uses very few words and is deliberately intended to make people stop speaking to you or asking you questions :
▪ The terse announcement gave no reason for Harris’s resignation.
▪ ‘We’re in the process of negotiations,’ Russo said in a terse statement to reporters.
tersely [adverb]
▪ a tersely worded White House announcement
▷ brusque /bruːsk, brʊskǁbrʌsk/ [adjective]
using few words and saying directly what you think, because that is the way you usually speak, even though it often seems rude to other people :
▪ Mathison’s brusque style tends to irritate colleagues.
▪ In public he appears brusque and dismissive, but he is in fact a very caring person.
brusquely [adverb]
▪ ‘It doesn’t matter much anyway,’ he responded brusquely.
▷ dismissive /dɪsˈmɪsɪv/ [adjective]
treating someone’s ideas, suggestions, or problems as if they are not at all important or serious, especially by dealing with them in very few words and then changing the subject :
▪ She was very dismissive when I tried to tell her about my problems at work.
dismissive of
▪ Teenagers who have jobs can be quite dismissive of their peers who don’t.
disimissively [adverb]
▪ ‘Forget it,’ Bill had said dismissively when I tried to apologize.
▷ be short with /biː ˈʃɔːʳt wɪð/ [verb phrase]
to speak to someone in a rude way, using very few words, especially because you are angry with them :
▪ I’m sorry if I was short with you, but I was worried about my interview.
▪ She was very short with me. I wonder if I’ve offended her in some way.
▷ abrupt /əˈbrʌpt/ [adjective]
seeming rude and unfriendly because you answer questions or talk to someone in a quick, direct way, especially because you do not want to waste time in friendly conversation :
▪ ‘It won’t work,’ Mitchell says in his abrupt, no-nonsense style.
▪ His new boss was abrupt and didn’t seem interested in his proposals.
4. someone who behaves rudely
▷ yob /jɒbǁjɑːb/ [countable noun] British
a young man who is rude, noisy, and sometimes violent :
▪ A dozen yobs stood outside the pub.
▪ Residents complained that yobs had been vandalizing their gardens.
yob culture
TV programmes, films, and other forms of entertainment that involve rudeness and unintelligent behaviour
▪ Our TV screens have been taken over by so-called yob culture.
▷ jerk /dʒɜːʳk/ [countable noun] especially American
an annoying person who behaves in a stupid way, for example by behaving in a rude and unpleasant way :
▪ Ignore him. He’s just a jerk.
▪ He’s an unprofessional jerk who’s always pestering the women in the office.
real/total jerk
▪ Her husband was being a real jerk about the divorce.
▷ lout /laʊt/ [countable noun]
a man or boy who behaves in a rude and violent way :
▪ A few foul-mouthed louts in the crowd were shouting racist abuse.
▪ Only a lout would treat a woman that way.
lager louts
British young men who drink too much beer and behave in rude or violent way
▪ We stood at the bar being jostled by some thick-necked lager louts.
5. to do something rude without seeming ashamed or embarrassed
▷ have the nerve also have the cheek British /ˌhæv ðə ˈnɜːʳv, ˌhæv ðə ˈtʃiːk/ [verb phrase]
if someone has the nerve to do something, they do something that you think is so rude that you are surprised they did it :
have the nerve to do something
▪ He forgot our anniversary and then had the nerve to ask what I got him when I reminded him about it.
have a nerve/cheek British /have (some) nerve
American
▪ He’s got a cheek, coming back at midnight and then expecting me to cook his dinner.
what a nerve/cheek British /what a nerve
American
▪ What a nerve! I hope you didn’t give him the money!
▷ have the gall to do something /hæv ðə ˌgɔːl tə ˈduː something/ [verb phrase]
if someone has the gall to do something, they do something that you think is very rude and unreasonable :
▪ I can’t believe he had the gall to ask you for money.
▪ Ruth was always on the phone and yet she had the gall to tell me off for making one call.
6. rude and offensive words
▷ bad/foul language /ˌbæd, ˌfaʊl ˈlæŋgwɪdʒ/ [uncountable noun] formal
language that most people think is offensive :
▪ Even very young children are using foul language at school.
▪ The computer chip allows parents to block programs containing violence, sex, or bad language.
▷ strong language /ˌstrɒŋ ˈlæŋgwɪdʒǁˌstrɔːŋ-/ [uncountable noun]
language that most people think is offensive - used especially to warn people that there may be offensive words used in a film or television programme :
▪ The following programme contains strong language, and some viewers may find it offensive.
▪ The film has lots of violence, scenes of drug-taking, and strong language.
▷ colourful language /ˌkʌləʳf ə l ˈlæŋgwɪdʒ/ [uncountable noun]
language that uses a lot of swear words - use this in humorous contexts :
▪ The colourful language of some of the characters may make it unsuitable for younger viewers.
▷ four-letter word /ˌfɔːʳ letəʳ ˈwɜːʳd/ [countable noun]
a word that most people think is extremely offensive, especially one that is connected with sex or the sexual organs :
▪ Rap songs are full of four-letter words.
▪ It’s a family show, with no four-letter words.
▷ swear word /ˈsweəʳ wɜːʳd/ [countable noun]
a rude and offensive word that people use especially when they are angry :
▪ He wasn’t the type of man to use swear words.
▪ We had to take all the swear words out of the play.
▷ obscenity /əbˈsenɪti, əbˈsenəti/ [countable noun usually plural]
a word or expression, especially about sex, that most people think is extremely offensive :
▪ Someone had written obscenities all over the classroom wall.
▪ Rick burst into the apartment, drunk and shouting obscenities.
▷ unprintable /ʌnˈprɪntəb ə l/ [adjective]
remarks, words etc that are unprintable are too offensive to appear in a newspaper, magazine, or book :
▪ Most of what she said in the interview was unprintable.
▪ Chief McNally admits he’s been called many things, some of them unprintable.
7. to use rude and offensive words
▷ swear /sweəʳ/ [intransitive verb]
▪ He swore angrily when he realized he’d missed the train.
▪ Don’t swear like that in front of the children!
swear at
▪ Officers say the suspect swore at them and threw a punch.
swearing [uncountable noun]
▪ It was great to see a movie that didn’t rely on swearing for its dialogue.
▷ cuss /kʌs/ [intransitive/transitive verb] American informal
to swear :
▪ Unlike his teammates, Jones doesn’t drink or cuss.
cuss at
▪ He started cussing at the policeman who stopped him.
cuss somebody out/cuss out somebody
swear at someone angrily
▪ Jeez, what if I get mad and start cussing out the kids in my class!
▷ foul-mouthed /ˌfaʊl ˈmaʊθt◂/ [adjective]
someone who is foul-mouthed swears a lot :
▪ If kids are foul-mouthed and rude, it’s probably because they hear that kind of language at home.
▪ Kinison was known for his screaming, foul-mouthed comic routines.