affront

[ uh-fruhnt ]

See synonyms for: affront affronted affronting on Thesaurus.com

noun

a personally offensive act or word; deliberate act or display of disrespect; intentional slight; insult: an affront to the king.
an offense to one's dignity or self-respect.

verb (used with object)

to offend by an open manifestation of disrespect or insolence: His speech affronted all of us.
to make ashamed or confused; embarrass.

Archaic. to front; face; look on.
Obsolete. to meet or encounter face to face; confront.

Origin of affront

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English afrounten, from Middle French af(f)ronter “to strike in the face,” from unattested Vulgar Latin affrontāre, derivative of Latin phrase ad frontem “at or toward the forehead” (as the seat of one's feelings or dignity). See ad-, front

synonym study For affront

1. See insult.

Other words for affront

1	impertinence; contumely, scorn; indignity, abuse, outrage
3	insult, slight, abuse

See synonyms for affront on Thesaurus.com

Other words from affront

af·front·ed·ly, adverb
af·front·ed·ness, noun
af·front·er, noun
af·front·ing·ly, adverb
re·af·front, noun, verb (used with object)
un·af·front·ed, adjective

Words Nearby affront

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use affront in a sentence

The Taliban’s unambiguous and brutal oppression of women was an affront to this emphasis.
Pre-war U.S. support for Afghan women’s rights offers a blueprint for the future | Kelly Shannon | August 24, 2021 | Washington Post
His dealer is a wanna-be slickster who shows up at Rob’s door in a yellow Camaro, his Gucci buckle glinting obviously in the sunlight, an affront to all that is decent and good.
In Pig, Nicolas Cage Plays a Grouchy, Meditative Hermit—and Gives His Best Performance in Years | Stephanie Zacharek | July 15, 2021 | Time
“Apple’s recent announcement continues its affront on publishers and the free Internet, under the guise of consumer privacy,” said Aaron McKee, chief technology officer at mobile ad tech vendor Blis.
Marketers fret as Apple’s hardline stance on tracking gets firmer | Seb Joseph | June 10, 2021 | Digiday
The attention economy has lavishly rewarded the Sussexes for talking publicly at great length and in granular detail about their resentment, anger and irritation with the royal family for the many sleights, insults and affronts delivered to them.
Will Harry and Meghan Markle’s Baby Daughter Lead to a Royal Reconciliation? | Tom Sykes | June 6, 2021 | The Daily Beast
To them, the statues were erected to intimidate and threaten, and their continued existence is an affront to freedom and justice.
The campaign to erect Confederate statues — and preserve Confederate values | Joe Heim | May 21, 2021 | Washington Post

He seems peeved that she's gotten old, as if it were a personal affront.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days | David Freeman | December 13, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Historically, conservatives treated the minimum wage as an affront to free labor and a step on a slippery slope towards statism.
To Make Their Victory Durable, the GOP Must Fix the Minimum Wage | Dmitri Mehlhorn | November 6, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
The reality-based community might have a difficult time fending off these two fronts of affront.
No, Stem Cells Don't Cause Autism | Kent Sepkowitz | September 11, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
This week, Trierweiler, 49, matches that public affront with a statement of her own—in 320 unforgiving pages.
Hollande's Jilted Lover Valerie Trierweiler Tells All | Tracy McNicoll | September 3, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
What had been shrugged off in, say, California, was greeted in Connecticut, Rhode Island, Ohio, and Michigan as an affront.
Pancakes and Pickaninnies: The Saga of ‘Sambo’s,’ The ‘Racist’ Restaurant Chain America Once Loved | Andrew Romano | June 30, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Not suspecting her motive, he represented the hazard of putting so great an affront on the favourite of the Empress.
The Pastor's Fire-side Vol. 3 of 4 | Jane Porter
I opposed this, fearing, of course, that the French and even the Gentiles might interpret this as an affront to our faith.
The Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents, Vol. II: Acadia, 1612-1614 | Various
The vote which required the King to discard them merely because they were what he himself was seemed to him a personal affront.
The History of England from the Accession of James II. | Thomas Babington Macaulay
He was even ready to swallow such an affront as that, thinking it might be offered him under a misconception of his meaning.
Mistress Wilding | Rafael Sabatini
That the very novelty of the venture will pass as an affront to some portion of his readers there is only reason to anticipate.
A Cursory History of Swearing | Julian Sharman

British Dictionary definitions for affront

affront

/ (əˈfrʌnt) /

noun

a deliberate insult

verb(tr)

to insult, esp openly
to offend the pride or dignity of

obsolete to confront defiantly

Origin of affront

C14: from Old French afronter to strike in the face, from Vulgar Latin affrontāre (unattested), from the Latin phrase ad frontem to the face

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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