affront
Americannoun
noun
verb
-
to insult, esp openly
-
to offend the pride or dignity of
-
obsolete to confront defiantly
Related Words
See insult.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
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
Explanation
An affront is an action that causes offense. If someone blows smoke in your face after you've asked him to put out his cigarette, you would consider it an affront. Affronter was an old French word meaning "to confront" or "slap in the face." It's from the Latin, ad frontem, meaning "to the face." Sure, a slap in the face would still be considered an affront, but other non-physical actions would also count. Some would even call a misplaced apostrophe an affront to the English language. Don't confuse affront with effrontery, which means "presumptuousness."
Vocabulary lists containing affront
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
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"The Book Thief" by Markus Zusak, Part Four
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Our Town
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
His happiness is an affront to their own chronic displeasure.
From Salon • May 19, 2026
Bovino flailed back at every affront instead of focusing on his mission, not realizing his recklessness was eroding public support for his cause and threatening it altogether.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 27, 2026
What Cannon claimed as a personal affront, though, was merely Smith following the law.
From Slate • Feb. 26, 2026
He added that it was "an affront to the Greatness of America".
From BBC • Feb. 8, 2026
The girl leans into my ear to shout above the atonal arrhythmic affront to decency that is Ashland Avenue.
From "Will Grayson, Will Grayson" by John Green and David Levithan
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
