affront

verb

af·front | \ ə-ˈfrənt

affronted; affronting; affronts

Definition of affront

(Entry 1 of 2)

transitive verb

1a : to insult especially to the face by behavior or language He was affronted by her rudeness.

b : to cause offense to laws that affront society

2a : to face in defiance : confront affront death

b obsolete : to encounter face-to-face

3 : to appear directly before

affront

noun

Definition of affront (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : a deliberate offense : insult an affront to his dignity

2 obsolete : a hostile encounter

Synonyms Choose the Right Synonym Did You Know? More Example Sentences Learn More about affront

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Choose the Right Synonym for affront

Verb

offend, outrage, affront, insult 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 outrage implies offending beyond endurance and calling forth extreme feelings. outraged by their accusations affront implies treating with deliberate rudeness or contemptuous indifference to courtesy. deeply affronted by his callousness insult suggests deliberately causing humiliation, hurt pride, or shame. insulted every guest at the party

Did You Know?

Verb

The Middle English "afronten," the ancestor of the Modern English verb "affront," was borrowed from the Anglo-French afrunter, a verb which means "to defy" but which also has the specific meaning "to strike on the forehead" or "to slap on the face." These more literal senses reveal the word's Latin origins, a combination of the Latin prefix ad-, meaning "to" or "towards," and "front-, frons," which means "forehead" (and which is also the source of the English word front). While the striking or slapping sense of "afrunter" was not adopted by English, it is alluded to in the oldest uses of "afronten" in Middle English in the sense of "to insult especially to the face."

Examples of affront in a Sentence

Verb

did not mean to affront you when I told you I didn't need your help

Noun

He regarded her rude behavior as a personal affront. took it as an affront that she wasn't asked to help cook Thanksgiving dinner

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Which is obviously why so many people are affronted by it. — Cincinnati Enquirer, "Read more from this Project," 13 July 2018 Over the past year, the Afghan Taliban has orchestrated an increasingly destructive insurgency across the war-tattered nation, affronting Afghan Security Forces and U.S troops with almost daily attacks. — Hollie Mckay, Fox News, "Taliban prisoners exploit release loophole with fake medical claims," 12 June 2018 But Johnson also affronted the public by consorting with and marrying white women. — Ellen Mcgirt, Fortune, "Donald Trump, Colin Kaepernick and Jack Johnson," 23 Apr. 2018 The Sixers’ most obvious failing came on offense in the face of the Heat’s personal-space-affronting defensive pressure. — David Murphy, Philly.com, "Sixers need Joel Embiid to contend, but not to beat the Heat | David Murphy," 18 Apr. 2018 That is a deliberate affront to affront Hindu values. — Win Mccormack, The New Republic, "Outside the Limits of the Human Imagination," 27 Mar. 2018 While personally affronted that Kitt would so publicly criticize him in the White House, Johnson knew why people protested. — Time, "Behind the Anti-War Protests That Swept America in 1968," 19 Jan. 2018 Would Trump seek to flatter or affront the globalists? — Time, "'America No Longer Matters.' Davos Isn't Worried About President Trump," 25 Jan. 2018 Once inside the cave, though, Aladdin can't resist grabbing a jade necklace for Jasmine, affronting the cave, which collapses and traps him and the lamp inside. — Margaret Gray, latimes.com, "In 'Aladdin' national tour, the magic carpet ride hits high gear only with the Genie out of his lamp," 25 Jan. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

This senseless attack is an affront to the people of Christchurch and New Zealand, and the broader Muslim community. — Chloe Foussianes, Town & Country, "Why Prince William Might Miss the Birth of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's Baby," 3 Apr. 2019 This senseless attack is an affront to the people of Christchurch and New Zealand, and the broader Muslim community. — Chloe Foussianes, Town & Country, "Why Prince William Might Miss the Birth of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's Baby," 3 Apr. 2019 On the par-4 13th hole Shinnecock Hills, after reaching the green in four strokes, Mickelson putted a moving ball in what amounted to an affront to the gentleman’s game. — Josh Peter, USA TODAY, "It's time for Phil Mickelson to grow up," 16 June 2018 This senseless attack is an affront to the people of Christchurch and New Zealand, and the broader Muslim community. — Chloe Foussianes, Town & Country, "Why Prince William Might Miss the Birth of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's Baby," 3 Apr. 2019 This senseless attack is an affront to the people of Christchurch and New Zealand, and the broader Muslim community. — Christopher Rosa, Glamour, "Meghan Markle and Prince Harry Made a Surprise Appearance to Honor New Zealand Survivors," 19 Mar. 2019 This senseless attack is an affront to the people of Christchurch and New Zealand, and the broader Muslim community. — Amy Mackelden, Harper's BAZAAR, "Meghan Markle & Prince Harry Make a Surprise Visit to New Zealand House in London," 19 Mar. 2019 This senseless attack is an affront to the people of Christchurch and New Zealand, and the broader Muslim community. — Chloe Foussianes, Town & Country, "Meghan Markle and Prince Harry Made a Somber Visit to New Zealand House Today," 19 Mar. 2019 The Australian navy also turns asylum seekers boats back to Indonesia, which Jakarta regards as an affront to Indonesian sovereignty. — Rod Mcguirk, Fox News, "Australian political challenger known for hard-right stances," 21 Aug. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'affront.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

History and Etymology for affront

Verb

Middle English afronten, afrounten, borrowed from Anglo-French afrunter "to strike the front of, shame," derivative from the phrase a frunt "facing, openly, blatantly," from a "to, at" (going back to Latin ad) + frunt "front entry 1, forehead" — more at at entry 1

Noun

borrowed from Middle French, noun derivative of affronter "to affront entry 1"

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