offended
Americanadjective
-
feeling or expressing hurt, indignation, or irritation because of a perceived wrong or insult.
The man replied in an offended voice, "My niece would never do anything like that!"
-
being the recipient or victim of criminal or morally repugnant behavior.
After the referral agent and the offender speak, the offended individual is invited to speak about how the assault affected them.
-
(of a sense, taste, etc.) affected disagreeably.
With the bright neon blue and red, the dress looked like clown garb, so my offended aesthetic sense told me to take it off.
verb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of offended
Explanation
Someone who's offended is annoyed, hurt, or disgusted. If one presidential candidate comments snidely on the hairstyle of another, the offended candidate may retaliate. If your feelings are hurt by your brother's comment that he "could take or leave" the chocolate chip cookies you baked for him, you're offended. And your grandmother's offended expression may be the result of the dreadful movie you're watching. Offended comes from the verb offend, specifically its secondary meaning "to wound the feelings." The Latin root is offendere, "to hit, stumble, provoke, or displease."
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.
Now, that joke did actually offend plenty of people, while Obama’s joke offended zero people.
From Slate ● Oct. 31, 2026
Stewart later said he was offended by suggestions he was "slumming it" by moving into US television.
From Barron's ● Oct. 29, 2026
She said she was left feeling stressed, exhausted and offended, it adds.
From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2026
McAfee, apparently already reeling from a column in the Athletic that opined that “College GameDay” has become overwhelmed by McAfee’s “frat-rock prankster” personality, appeared deeply offended.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 27, 2026
She tried not to be offended, but it was hard not to be.
From "Aru Shah and the End of Time" by Roshani Chokshi
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
