THE WORDCRAFT DEFINITION DICTIONARY
irreverent
adjective
Showing a lack of solemn respect for something usually treated seriously.
Local English device voice, when available. This is not a recorded dictionary pronunciation.
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Examples in context
The irreverent comedy pokes fun at the academy's ceremonies.
The director preferred an irreverent joke that gently deflated a pompous official's solemn self-presentation without using gross language.
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Related meanings
Related words can differ in tone and context; they are not always interchangeable.
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The irreverent family
These forms are closely related, but their grammar and use are not identical. Expand a form to compare its meaning and examples.
irreverencenoun
A lack of the respect or seriousness conventionally shown to someone or something.
The comedy's playful irreverence challenged the club's solemn traditions.
Tessa added irreverence when a character used the committee's ceremonial stamp as a paperweight, treating a solemn symbol casually.
About this entry
This entry is part of the vocabulary collection supplied by GlobalRPh. Definitions are concise study meanings. Examples combine original teaching sentences with selected passages adapted from the supplied study notes; their source is labeled beside each example. A word may have additional specialized or historical senses.
Adapted from supplied vocabulary notes. Example written for WordCraft.
Source study sections: 11, 13, 18.
Dictionary scope and sources