Umbrage is a word born in the shadows. Its ultimate source (and that of umbrella) is Latin umbra, meaning “shade, shadow,” and when it was first used in the 15th century it referred to exactly that. But figurative use followed relatively quickly. Shakespeare wrote of Hamlet that "his semblable is his mirror, and who else would trace him, his umbrage, nothing more,” and by the 17th century this meaning of “vague suggestion; hint,” had been joined by other uses, including the “feeling of resentment or offense” heard today in such sentences as “many took umbrage at the speaker’s tasteless jokes.” The word’s early literal use is not often encountered, though it does live on in literature: for example, in her 1849 novel, Charlotte Brontë describes how the titular Shirley would relax “at the foot of some tree of friendly umbrage.”
huff implies a peevish short-lived spell of anger usually at a petty cause.
in a huff he slammed the door
Examples of umbrage in a Sentence
took umbrage at the slightest suggestion of disrespect
Recent Examples on the WebIn Vernon County’s political corners, the issue of a small committee controlling the process is being met with great umbrage.—Eric Adler, Kansas City Star, 6 May 2024 While some of her critics may take umbrage at a person from such a background taking on the task of honoring Édith Piaf at the Olympics, Piaf herself came from a similar background, as the child of immigrants who spent most of her youth in poverty.—Colette Davidson, The Christian Science Monitor, 25 Apr. 2024 As a former chief economic adviser to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and delegated to the IMF by the Modi government, Subramanian has good reason to take umbrage at the slightest suggestion that India’s economy may not be as robust as thought.—Debasish Roy Chowdhury, TIME, 24 Apr. 2024 Kennedy, on Fox, also repeated his umbrage at being denied Secret Service protection despite earlier requests.—Will McDuffie, ABC News, 2 Apr. 2024 In her desperately flawed case against Donald Trump, in her sense of umbrage when caught engaging in flagrantly unprofessional conduct, in her dishonesty, and in her willingness to smear her critics, the district attorney of Fulton County, Ga., is a perfect representative of the resistance.—Rich Lowry, National Review, 18 Mar. 2024 Paul and Draymond Green took umbrage with some no-calls.—Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 5 Apr. 2024 Others took umbrage at an ancient Egyptian art work depicting manual labor, which bore a caption describing how the pharaoh’s workers periodically staged strikes.—Kyle Chayka, The New Yorker, 3 Apr. 2024 But Badu took umbrage with Bey's hairstyle: long braids with colorful beads, which seemed a bit too similar to a look she's sported in the not-so-distant past.—Lester Fabian Brathwaite, EW.com, 20 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'umbrage.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin umbraticum, neuter of umbraticus of shade, from umbratus, past participle of umbrare to shade, from umbra shade, shadow; akin to Lithuanian unksmė shadow
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