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malapert

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malapert¹

  • /ˈmæləpɜːt/ UK
  • /mæləˈpɜːt/ UK
  • /ˈmæləpɝt/ US
  • /mæləˈpɝt/ US

Where it comes from

From mal- (“not, badly”) + apert (“open, revealed; direct, straightforward; clever, expert”), or from Middle French malappert, Old French mal apert (“ill-skilled”).

noun malaperts · malepart

  1. archaic A cheeky, impudent, or saucy person.

    Similar: brazenface, cheeky chappie, cheeky chops, cheeky monkey, jackanapes, malapert, minx, saucebox

Opposite: sycophant

adjective more malapert · most malapert · malepart

  1. archaic Cheeky, impudent, saucy. The follest slouen ondyr heuen, / Prowde, peuiche, lyddyr, and lewde, / Malapert, medyllar, nothyng well thewde, […]

    Similar: cheeky

Malapert²

  • /ˈmaləpəːt/ UK
  • /maləˈpəːt/ UK
  • /ˈmæləpɚt/ US
  • /mæləˈpɚt/ US

Where it comes from

See malapert.

proper noun

  1. obsolete A personification of impudence or malapertness.

Thesaurus

noun

Opposite: sycophant

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Cite this
MLA

"malapert." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/malapert. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

malapert. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/malapert

Chicago

"malapert." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/malapert.

BibTeX
@misc{malapert_2026,
  title = {malapert},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/malapert},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}