importunate

/ɪmˈpɔːtʃənət/ (bre, ipa) · /ɪmˈpɔːrtʃənət/ (ame, ipa) · /im-ˈpȯr-chə-nət -tyu̇-nət/ (ame, mw)

importunate — adjective

  • importunatepositive
  • more importunatecomparative
  • most importunatesuperlative

1. If someone is importunate, they continue to ask you for things again and again,

1.形容詞C2
釋義

If someone is importunate, they continue to ask you for things again and again, in a way that feels unpleasant and pressing, not accepting your refusal.

例句

Guo's importunate nephew kept calling him at work, asking to borrow money for a new video game.

importunate + person who keeps calling/asking

The importunate salesperson followed Samir all the way to his car, refusing to take no for an answer.

同義詞
  • insistent

    less negative; simply means refusing to give up, whereas importunate suggests the persistence is annoying and unwelcome

  • persistent

    more neutral in tone; can be positive (persistent effort) or negative, while importunate is always negative

  • pestering

    more informal; suggests nagging or bothering in a petty way, while importunate implies more forceful demands

反義詞
  • restrained

    describes someone who holds back instead of pressing demands

  • undemanding

    suggests no pressure or requests at all

文法句型

importunate + person noun (neighbour, caller, relative)

用法筆記

Describes a person's behaviour, not their character in general. The word carries a strong negative connotation — an importunate person is not merely eager but oversteps social boundaries.

常見錯誤

❌My importunate boss praised my work.
✅My importunate boss kept demanding updates every hour.
💡importunate only applies to repeated, unwelcome asking, not to any behaviour by a difficult person.
❌She was importunate about the food.
✅She was importunate about getting a refund, calling the store five times in one day.
💡the word specifically means repeatedly pressing a request, not just showing strong interest.

2. An importunate request, question, or demand is expressed so strongly and repeate

2.形容詞C2
釋義

An importunate request, question, or demand is expressed so strongly and repeated so many times that it becomes irritating and difficult to ignore.

例句

After Fumi's third importunate request for a raise, her manager finally scheduled a meeting to discuss it.

importunate + request for [something]

The committee received an importunate letter demanding an immediate decision on the zoning dispute before the deadline.

同義詞
  • pressing

    focuses on urgency rather than repetition; a pressing request may be made just once

  • urgent

    emphasises importance, not repetition; urgent matters need quick action but not necessarily repeated asking

  • repeated

    neutral in tone — simply describes something done more than once, without the negative annoyance that importunate conveys

反義詞
  • moderate

    something moderate is kept within reasonable limits, not pushed too far

  • infrequent

    an infrequent request is made rarely or once, the opposite of repeated pressing

文法句型

importunate + request/question/demand/letter

用法筆記

Describes the request or question itself, not the person making it. Common in formal writing, journalism, and legal contexts. In this sense importunate is almost always placed before the noun it modifies (attributive use).

常見錯誤

❌She made an importunate decision.
✅She made an importunate demand for an answer.
💡importunate modifies requests, questions, and demands, not decisions or choices.
❌The importunate weather ruined our picnic.
✅She sent an importunate series of emails asking for the report.
💡importunate does not mean troublesome in a general sense; it specifically involves repeated demanding.