insult
1 of 2verb
in·sult in-ˈsəlt 
insulted; insulting; insults
transitive verb
: to treat with insolence, indignity, or contempt : affront
also : to affect offensively or damagingly
doggerel that insults the reader's intelligence
intransitive verb
archaic : to behave with pride or arrogance : vaunt
insulter noun
insult
2 of 2noun
in·sult ˈin-ˌsəlt
1
: a gross indignity : an instance of insolent or contemptuous speech or conduct
2
: injury to the body or one of its parts
also : something that causes or has a potential for causing such injury
pollution and other environmental insults
Synonyms
Verb
- affront
- dis [slang]
- diss
- disrespect
- offend
- outrage
- slap
- slight
- wound
Noun
- affront
- barb
- brickbat
- cut
- dart
- dig
- dis [slang]
- diss
- epithet
- gird
- indignity
- name
- offense
- offence
- outrage
- personality
- poke
- put-down
- sarcasm
- slap
- slight
- slur
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
Verb She felt they had insulted her by repeatedly ignoring her questions. We were greatly insulted by his rudeness. They're understandably insulted when no one asks for their opinion on a matter that affects them so much. Noun The fans hurled insults at the referee as he walked off the field after the game. Their decision to cancel the project was an insult to all my hard work. They got into a fight over a minor insult. See More
Recent Examples on the Web
Alan Feuer, BostonGlobe.com, 6 Sep. 2022 To call it tinny is to insult the fine if mundane qualities of tin. Liza Lentini, SPIN, 20 July 2022 At the end of the day, the most important thing for me and the most important thing for the showrunners was to not insult the original series' Kirk by doing an imitation of [Shatner]. Nick Romano, EW.com, 7 July 2022 And her tirades ruin gatherings for me, occur on my time, happen in my home, and insult my family. Carolyn Hax, Washington Post, 5 June 2022 There was no reason to insult him with the de facto one-year, $30 million extension, but there are plausible concerns about his future. Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 25 July 2022 Rolling Stone reinforces that insult in order to claim control of popular consensus. Armond White, National Review, 29 July 2022 And my personality isn’t ever one to insult anybody. Ramin Setoodeh, Variety, 15 July 2022 The teenage boys on my local basketball court still insult each other by using anti-gay slurs. Mychal Denzel Smith, Harper's BAZAAR, 8 July 2022 Los Angeles Times, 7 Sep. 2022 Steven Wright: In an age of storytelling stand-up, confessional comedy and insult humor, Wright has long not done any of that. Doug George, Chicago Tribune, 6 Sep. 2022 But there was one final shock in store for the family, as the military added insult to injury. Seth Harp, Rolling Stone, 4 Sep. 2022 To further insult Viserys, his brother, and cement himself as an enemy of the realm, Daemon takes the dragon egg that was meant for Baelon. Angie Orellana Hernandez, BostonGlobe.com, 29 Aug. 2022 Chinese officials have frequently utilized the language of offense and insult in complaints foreign commentary on the country. Fox News, 20 Aug. 2022 Maybe the name monkeypox, which already sounds something like an insult, has a way of loosening the bigot’s tongue. Benjamin Mazer, The Atlantic, 17 Aug. 2022 Adding insult to injury, the platforms hosting this content do little to mitigate the risk of child exploitation. WIRED, 27 Aug. 2022 Adding insult to injury, the brothers have also gone to the SEC with the idea of taking their company public. Neil Senturia, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Aug. 2022 See More
Verb
Even after his criminal conviction, Griffin, a bombastic man who briefly considered riding a horse to his sentencing at the courthouse in Washington, continued to publicly disparage his case and insult the judge who heard it. Alan Feuer, BostonGlobe.com, 6 Sep. 2022 To call it tinny is to insult the fine if mundane qualities of tin. Liza Lentini, SPIN, 20 July 2022 At the end of the day, the most important thing for me and the most important thing for the showrunners was to not insult the original series' Kirk by doing an imitation of [Shatner]. Nick Romano, EW.com, 7 July 2022 And her tirades ruin gatherings for me, occur on my time, happen in my home, and insult my family. Carolyn Hax, Washington Post, 5 June 2022 There was no reason to insult him with the de facto one-year, $30 million extension, but there are plausible concerns about his future. Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 25 July 2022 Rolling Stone reinforces that insult in order to claim control of popular consensus. Armond White, National Review, 29 July 2022 And my personality isn’t ever one to insult anybody. Ramin Setoodeh, Variety, 15 July 2022 The teenage boys on my local basketball court still insult each other by using anti-gay slurs. Mychal Denzel Smith, Harper's BAZAAR, 8 July 2022 Noun
In addition to shirts supporting the trans community, Morris’ fanbase also got a cheeky new name out of the Carlson insult. Los Angeles Times, 7 Sep. 2022 Steven Wright: In an age of storytelling stand-up, confessional comedy and insult humor, Wright has long not done any of that. Doug George, Chicago Tribune, 6 Sep. 2022 But there was one final shock in store for the family, as the military added insult to injury. Seth Harp, Rolling Stone, 4 Sep. 2022 To further insult Viserys, his brother, and cement himself as an enemy of the realm, Daemon takes the dragon egg that was meant for Baelon. Angie Orellana Hernandez, BostonGlobe.com, 29 Aug. 2022 Chinese officials have frequently utilized the language of offense and insult in complaints foreign commentary on the country. Fox News, 20 Aug. 2022 Maybe the name monkeypox, which already sounds something like an insult, has a way of loosening the bigot’s tongue. Benjamin Mazer, The Atlantic, 17 Aug. 2022 Adding insult to injury, the platforms hosting this content do little to mitigate the risk of child exploitation. WIRED, 27 Aug. 2022 Adding insult to injury, the brothers have also gone to the SEC with the idea of taking their company public. Neil Senturia, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Aug. 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
Verb
Middle French or Latin; Middle French insulter, from Latin insultare, literally, to spring upon, from in- + saltare to leap — more at saltation
First Known Use
Verb
1540, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense
Noun
1671, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Phrases Containing insult
Kids Definition
insult 1 of 2
verb
in·sult in-ˈsəlt
insulted; insulting
: to treat or speak to with disrespect You insulted them by leaving early.
insult
2 of 2noun
in·sult ˈin-ˌsəlt
: an act or statement showing disrespect
Medical Definition
insult
noun
in·sult ˈin-ˌsəlt
1
: injury to the body or one of its parts
repeated acute vascular insults
any insult to the constitution of a patient suffering from active tuberculosis Journal of the American Medical Association
Journal of the American Medical Association2
: something that causes or has a potential for causing insult to the body
damage resulting from malnutritional insults
insulted
verb
as in offended
to cause hurt feelings or deep resentment in insulted their hosts by casually remarking about the outdated look of their home Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- offended
- outraged
- taunted
- disrespected
- affronted
- upset
- displeased
- wounded
- slapped
- mocked
- hurt
- disturbed
- slighted
- dissed
- ridiculed
- troubled
- snubbed
- miffed
- slandered
- jeered
- pained
- distressed
- disparaged
- defamed
- tortured
- maligned
- tormented
- oppressed
- libeled
- reviled
- persecuted
- smeared
- libelled
- cut
- slurred
- sneered (at)
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- approved
- applauded
- complimented
- praised
- flattered
- hailed
- commended
- acclaimed
- eulogized
- honored
- exalted
- pleased
- delighted
- gratified
- adulated
- satisfied
- glorified
- sweet-talked