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🇨🇳Chinese Source WordCode: ZH

纠缠

Pronunciation / Transliteration: jiū chán

🇬🇧 Direct English Meaning:
Importune/ˌɪm.pɔːrˈtjuːn/
verbCEFR C2 (Proficient)Top #14500 frequency
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🇨🇳 Example Sentence in Chinese:

"记者们不断纠缠明星以获取独家新闻。"

Comprehensive Definitions & Senses

2 senses
As verb
  1. 1

    To ask someone persistently and repeatedly for something or to do something, often in an annoying or pressing manner.

    "Sales representatives would continually importune potential clients with phone calls throughout the day."
  2. 2

    To approach someone with persistent or aggressive requests, historically used in the context of solicitation.

    "Passersby were frequently importuned by street vendors trying to sell souvenirs."
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Thesaurus & Semantic Spectrum

Synonyms (3)
Antonyms & Contrasting Words (1)

Linguistic Origin & Historical Etymology

Derived from the Latin adjective 'importunus', meaning unfit, troublesome, or untimely, combining 'in-' (not) and 'portus' (harbor). It entered the English language in the late 15th century via Old French, shifting from meaning 'inconvenient' to specifically denoting the act of making persistent, troublesome requests.

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