offend

1
as in to trespass
to commit an offense since this is the first time you've offended, we'll let you off lightly

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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Synonym Chooser

How is the word offend distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of offend are affront, insult, and outrage. While all these words mean "to cause hurt feelings or deep resentment," offend need not imply an intentional hurting but it may indicate merely a violation of the victim's sense of what is proper or fitting.

hoped that my remarks had not offended her

Where would affront be a reasonable alternative to offend?

The synonyms affront and offend are sometimes interchangeable, but affront implies treating with deliberate rudeness or contemptuous indifference to courtesy.

deeply affronted by his callousness

When would insult be a good substitute for offend?

In some situations, the words insult and offend are roughly equivalent. However, insult suggests deliberately causing humiliation, hurt pride, or shame.

insulted every guest at the party

When might outrage be a better fit than offend?

The words outrage and offend are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, outrage implies offending beyond endurance and calling forth extreme feelings.

outraged by their accusations

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of offend In New Zealand, murder carries a mandatory life sentence and judges are required to set a prison term of at least 10 years before the offending person can apply for parole, according to the outlet. Gabrielle Rockson, PEOPLE, 23 Sep. 2025 Price hikes are almost always unpopular, but unveiling them immediately after offending subscribers, employees, politicians, and celebrities is tone-deaf and horribly timed. Scharon Harding, ArsTechnica, 23 Sep. 2025 Jokes can offend, annoy, insult or fall flat. Diane Brady, Fortune, 19 Sep. 2025 There was no accessible list of people supposedly celebrating Kirk’s murder, and a submissions portal for offending posts about him remained inactive. Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 18 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for offend
Recent Examples of Synonyms for offend
Verb
  • During the 2022 incident, an unknown person motioned toward Newton to arrest Mitchell for trespassing.
    Caroline Zimmerman, Kansas City Star, 30 Sep. 2025
  • Denver7 reported that authorities had received three reports of a suspicious person trespassing on private properties along State Highway 103 this week, including two properties on Peaceful Valley Lane in Idaho Springs on Monday.
    John Aguilar, Denver Post, 26 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • The series of tests YouTuber Cody Detwiler put Ben the humanoid through a series of tasks after insulting him and programming him to consider humans as enemies.
    Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 2 Oct. 2025
  • Patrick doesn’t waste time insulting Ellen about her relationship with Edward, never mind that, as Ellen points out, Edward’s the reason Patrick’s a free man.
    Keith Phipps, Vulture, 26 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • The president of the European Commission highlighted that in just the last two weeks, Russian drones and warplanes have violated the airspace of six European nations, scrambling jets, grounding commercial flights and posing a direct threat to EU citizens.
    Caitlin McFall, FOXNews.com, 8 Oct. 2025
  • Lawsuits filed in recent days claim the federal government is overstepping its authority and violating constitutional protections.
    Amanda Castro, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Zay Flowers, who finished with a receiving line of 5-for-72, fell a yard short of a long TD on a 56-yard gain.
    Michael Salfino, New York Times, 6 Oct. 2025
  • City administrator echoes points other municipalities have stated Brown presented a series of slides and data pieces that, among other facts, showed the city has lagged further behind in terms of property revenue increases falling short of 3% inflation on existing services on average.
    Jim Riccioli, jsonline.com, 6 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • For several days this week, cities across the Indian Ocean nation – one of Africa’s poorest – have been flooded with young protesters outraged over water shortages and rolling blackouts.
    Kara Fox, CNN Money, 4 Oct. 2025
  • The move outraged leading Democrats.
    Franco Ordoñez, NPR, 2 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The southernmost individual on record lives in the Sierra Gorda of Querétaro, just 200 kilometers from Mexico City, while the northernmost populations wander the Arctic coasts in northern Canada and Alaska.
    Ganesh Marín, The Dial, 7 Oct. 2025
  • The mind could wander briefly about the Giants riding a two-game winning streak into a Thursday Night Football matchup with the Eagles, equipped to knock off their tormentors who suddenly look vulnerable.
    Dan Duggan, New York Times, 6 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Offend.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/offend. Accessed 9 Oct. 2025.

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