Advertisement
Advertisement
insult
[ verb in-suhlt; noun in-suhlt ]
verb (used with object)
- to treat or speak to insolently or with contemptuous rudeness; affront.
Synonyms: abuse, injure, scorn, offend
Antonyms: compliment
- to affect as an affront; offend or demean.
- Archaic. to attack; assault.
verb (used without object)
- Archaic. to behave with insolent triumph; exult contemptuously (usually followed by on, upon, or over ).
noun
- an insolent or contemptuously rude action or remark; affront.
Antonyms: compliment
- something having the effect of an affront:
That book is an insult to one's intelligence.
- Medicine/Medical.
- an injury or trauma.
- an agent that inflicts this.
- Archaic. an attack or assault.
insult
verb
- to treat, mention, or speak to rudely; offend; affront
- obsolete.to assault; attack
noun
- an offensive or contemptuous remark or action; affront; slight
- a person or thing producing the effect of an affront
some television is an insult to intelligence
- med an injury or trauma
- add insult to injuryto make an unfair or unacceptable situation even worse
Derived Forms
- inˈsulter, noun
Other Words From
- in·sulta·ble adjective
- in·sulter noun
- prein·sult verb (used with object)
- quasi-in·sulted adjective
- unin·sulta·ble adjective
- unin·sulted adjective
Word History and Origins
Word History and Origins
Origin of insult1
Idioms and Phrases
see add insult to injury .Synonym Study
Example Sentences
That the “short list” was most of the world, or that the term ultimately devolved into an insult, seems unsurprising in retrospect.
It was an insult to the public as well, and a sad example of the state of American democracy five weeks before the election.
It wasn’t the insults or shouting that put the markets into a risk-off mood.
“Streamlining,” wrote Technical Editor Kevin Cameron in a February, 2002, piece about the star of the 2001 Tokyo Show, “would just be an insult to the air-crushing power of the supercharged engine.”
Adding insult to injury, my coworkers and I were offered only a pittance of severance to tide us over through this incredible time of uncertainty.
It was like a constant assault, an almost stupefying catalogue of mindless racial insult and injury.
Insult to injury, its $43 million gross was less than one-fifth of what Ted took in.
The cardinals had such a bad reputation that the very term “cardinal” became an insult in Renaissance Rome.
To add insult to injury, he procured male escorts while traveling for school business.
Watching novelists insult one another is one of the primary pleasures of his biography.
Yet how came it that even a low-caste mongrel of a Lascar should offer such an overt insult to a Brahmin!
He passed to and fro in the city without the least insult being offered him by any Spaniard.
Insult and outrage seemed to have given that bodily vigour to Ripperda, which medicine and surgery had taken no pains to restore.
He was determined to have it, if only because no greater insult can be inflicted on a Mohammedan than to bare his head.
This provided for, I will protect myself from future insult, depend upon it.
Advertisement
More About Insult
What is an insult?
An insult is a rude action or remark meant to harm someone’s reputation or hurt their feelings. Insults come in many forms, often attacking the mental or physical characteristics of someone or something.
To insult someone is to offend or demean them, as by making harmful remarks.
An insult is also something that has the effect of a harmful remark. For example, you could say that your father telling you how to do something that you know how to do is an insult to your intelligence, even though your father was trying to be helpful rather than insulting. You can feel insulted without someone intentionally being rude because feelings are unplanned reactions, meaning some people find it best to think about whether the insult was intended or not. Insults are sometimes exchanged lightheartedly among friends just for fun.
Example: How dare she insult me like that on such an important day!
Where does insult come from?
The first records of the term insult come from around 1560. It comes from the Latin insultāre, meaning “to jump on, insult.”
Insults are often used as shock comedy and in roasts of people, usually celebrities. These events or social media threads usually involve people insulting others in good fun by poking at their actions, deeds, or characteristics that may be seen as negative. Often these types of insults are made in jest and are half-truths. Other times, though, people can make jokes at others’ expense that are actually real insults that offend and demean them. Being insulted is never a comfortable thing, and it’s wise to think before saying something hurtful.
Did you know ... ?
What are some other forms related to insult?
- insulting (adjective)
- insulter (noun)
- preinsult (verb)
- uninsulted (adjective)
What are some synonyms for insult?
What are some words that share a root or word element with insult?
What are some words that often get used in discussing insult?
How is insult used in real life?
The word insult is commonly used as both a noun and a verb. The word is typically used in the context of comments considered demeaning, but insults are sometimes exchanged among friends in a joking way.
In order to insult me, I must first value your opinion.
— Odell Beckham Jr (@obj) August 14, 2017
If you take correction as an insult, you will never grow.
— reggie mills (@MillsReggie) December 1, 2020
me, with $27 in my checking account, looking at $3M homes online: “the size of this in-ground pool is an insult”
— caleb (@calebsaysthings) September 10, 2020
Try using insult!
Which of the following is NOT a synonym for insult?
A. help
B. annoy
C. irritate
D. slander
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.
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Browse