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Synonyms

offended

American  
[uh-fen-did] / əˈfɛn dɪd /

adjective

  1. 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!"

  2. 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.

  3. (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

  1. the simple past tense and past participle of offend.

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of offended

offend ( def. ) + -ed 2

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."

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