Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- adjective Lacking or exhibiting a lack of reverence; disrespectful.
- adjective Critical of what is generally accepted or respected; satirical.
from The Century Dictionary.
- Not reverent; manifesting or characterized by irreverence; deficient in veneration or respect: as, to be irreverent toward one's superiors or elders; an irreverent expression.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- adjective Not reverent; showing a lack of reverence; expressive of a lack of veneration
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- adjective Lacking proper respect or seriousness;
sarcastic . - adjective
Disrespectful ,cynical ,cavilling ,querulous , orvulgar , where one's ownfeelings , or especiallydeference to the feelings of others,customarily command silence ,discretion , andcircumspection .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- adjective not revering god
- adjective showing lack of due respect or veneration
- adjective characterized by a lightly pert and exuberant quality
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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It manages to remain irreverent from beginning to end, throwing sucker punches when you least expect it.
REVIEW: The Secret History of Science Fiction edited by James Patrick Kelly and John Kessel 2009
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"We call it irreverent reverence," says Sabol, the company president.
Behind the curtain at NFL Films, 'where football was born' 2008
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Michael Atkinson at IFC News on 4: "[T] his is a raging, unsettling, rule-incinerating monster of a movie, treating the rules of orthodox narrative like toilet paper and engaging in irreverent structuralist hijinks that'd be hilarious if in fact the film wasn't chilling to the bone."
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They thought the name irreverent, tongue-in-cheek, and it certainly breaks the ice among the wine-phobic.
I Drink Wine With The Winos From Wino Magazine | Seattle Metblogs 2008
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They thought the name irreverent, tongue-in-cheek, and it certainly breaks the ice among the wine-phobic.
Seattle Metblogs 2008
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Now, the last time I looked, the word irreverent meant, showing lack of due respect or veneration, which would make Top Gear quintessentially irreverent, not almost.
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The unusual poetic visualization of the source works, which could be described as irreverent cinematic homage, has the potential to renew the traditional reading of such literature.
Archive 2009-08-01 The Society for the Study of Popular Culture 2009
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The unusual poetic visualization of the source works, which could be described as irreverent cinematic homage, has the potential to renew the traditional reading of such literature.
MMSM: New books from McFarland (2006-2009) The Society for the Study of Popular Culture 2009
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Sutherland's attempt in England to do away with the dreadful shape which causes a shudder to all who have lost a friend -- that of the coffin -- was called irreverent, because he suggested that the dead should be buried in wicker-work baskets, with fern-leaves for shrouds, so that the poor clay might the more easily return to mother earth.
Manners and Social Usages Mrs. John M. E. W. Sherwood
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That is true, possibly because they found the name too irreverent.
PossibleUnderscore commented on the word irreverent
John Lennon was very irreverent and very intelligent.
-Brenda Lee
July 26, 2009