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ENGLISH · A WORD WITH POSSIBILITIES

importune.

To bother, irritate, trouble.

9 characters3 syllables approx.English language

Meaning & usage

verb/ɪmpɔːˈtjuːn/UK/ɪmˈpɔːtjuːn/UK/ɪmpɔɹˈtuːn/US
  1. To bother, irritate, trouble.

    transitive
  2. To harass with persistent requests.

    transitive
  3. To approach to offer one's services as a prostitute, or otherwise make improper proposals.

    transitive
  4. To import; to signify.

    obsolete · transitive
Where this word comes from

From Middle French importuner and its etymon Medieval Latin importūnor (“to make oneself troublesome”), from Latin importūnus (“unfit, troublesome”), originally "having no harbor".

adj/ɪmpɔːˈtjuːn/UK/ɪmˈpɔːtjuːn/UK/ɪmpɔɹˈtuːn/US
  1. Grievous, severe, exacting.

    obsolete
  2. Inopportune; unseasonable.

    obsolete
  3. Troublesome; vexatious; persistent.

    obsolete
Where this word comes from

From Middle English importune, inportune, from Anglo-Norman and Middle French importun and its etymon Classical Latin importūnus.

noun/ɪmpɔːˈtjuːn/UK/ɪmˈpɔːtjuːn/UK/ɪmpɔɹˈtuːn/US
  1. Synonym of importuner.

    obsolete
Where this word comes from

From Middle English importune, inportune, from Anglo-Norman and Middle French importun and its etymon Classical Latin importūnus.

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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.

Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.