affront

[uh-fruhnt]

noun

1. a personally offensive act or word; deliberate act or display of disrespect; intentional slight; insult.

   an affront to the king.

   Synonyms: outrage, abuse, indignity, scorn, contumely, impertinence

2. an offense to one's dignity or self-respect.

verb (used with object)

1. to offend by an open manifestation of disrespect or insolence.

   His speech affronted all of us.

   Synonyms: abuse, slight, insult

2. to make ashamed or confused; embarrass.

3. Archaic.,  to front; face; look on.

4. Obsolete.,  to meet or encounter face to face; confront.

affront

/ əˈfrʌnt /

noun

1. a deliberate insult

verb

1. to insult, esp openly

2. to offend the pride or dignity of

3. obsolete,  to confront defiantly

Other Word Forms

• affrontedly adverb
• affrontedness noun
• affronter noun
• affrontingly adverb
• reaffront noun
• unaffronted adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of affront¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of affront¹

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

Synonym Study

See insult.

Example Sentences

"Their arrest, prosecution and conviction for harassment were an egregious affront on those rights and they are delighted to have finally been exonerated."

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The time it takes to make these calls one way or another is outrageous, to the degree I would say it is an affront to the game of football in this country.

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Some opponents argued that it was an affront to an independent congressional redistricting commission that California voters created in 2010 with the passage of Proposition 20 — an effort to provide fair representation to all Californians.

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Republicans who oppose the effort countered that Proposition 50 is an affront to the electorate that voted to create an independent redistricting commission.

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The group said in a statement that Hamdi had been detained “because he dared to criticize the Israeli government’s genocide” while on his tour, and called his detention “a blatant affront to free speech.”

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Related Words

• indignity 
• provocation 
• slight