impudere

Impudere is a Latin verb meaning to be shameless or to act with impudence. It is a regular verb of the classical Latin repertoire and is typically treated as a 2nd‑conjugation verb, with impudēre as the present active infinitive. The adjective impudens, meaning shameless or impudent, and the noun impudentia, meaning shamelessness or impudence, are closely related and share the same semantic field.

Etymology and related forms point to a root connected with pudere, “to feel shame,” and pudor, “shame.” The prefix in‑ in this sense signals negation or contradiction of the sense of shame, yielding a sense of lacking modesty or social scruple. This lineage links impudēre to the wider Latin family of words for modesty and audacity and to impudens as an adjective describing someone who acts without shame.

Usage in Latin texts typically conveys bold, unashamed behavior or speech that violates social norms or expectations of decorum. The term appears in various registers, from narrative to rhetorical passages, where the speaker comments on a person’s audacity or reprimands shameless conduct. In linguistic and philological work, impudere is cited as part of the vocabulary that underpins the English derivative impudence and the adjective impudent, both traced back through impudentia and related forms.

See also: pudor, pudēre, impudens, impudentia.