offend

verb

of·​fend ə-ˈfend 

offended; offending; offends

intransitive verb

1

a

: to transgress (see transgress sense transitive 1) the moral or divine law : sin

… if it be a sin to covet honor, I am the most offending soul alive.

—William Shakespeare

b

: to violate a law or rule : do wrong

determining whether a released prisoner is likely to offend again

2

a

: to cause difficulty, discomfort, or injury

took off his shoe and removed the offending pebble

b

: to cause dislike, anger, or vexation

thoughtless words that offend needlessly

transitive verb

1

a

: violate, transgress

… a contract not offending a statute … might still be in restraint of trade.

—C. A. Cooke

b

: to cause pain to : hurt

tasteless billboards that offend the eye

2

obsolete : to cause to sin or fall

3

: to cause (a person or group) to feel hurt, angry, or upset by something said or done

was offended by their language

I'm a little offended by your sarcastic tone.

She carefully worded her comments so as not to offend anyone.

offender noun

Synonyms of offend

• trespass
• fall
• wander

Choose the Right Synonym for offend

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

Examples of offend in a Sentence

His comments about minority groups offended many of us.

She had carefully worded her comments so as not to offend anyone.

It offends me that you would make such a remark.

Don't worry. I wasn't offended.

I felt a little offended by their lack of respect.

Some people are offended by the song's lyrics.

I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you.

I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend.

Recent Examples on the Web

Given all the competition in the airline industry, and choices travelers have, offending anyone is dangerous. —Phil Wahba, Fortune, 30 Mar. 2026

Prosecutors said messages in the group chat along with the fact that the Pawula sent the texts to Rita, Chad Salefski and other family and friends of Rita and Salefski showed they were intended to offend the two political candidates. —Olivia Stevens, Chicago Tribune, 27 Mar. 2026

For a man behind a franchise that’s known for platforming outspoken women, Andy Cohen sure seems offended by Sarah Michelle Gellar‘s criticism of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. —Glenn Garner, Deadline, 26 Mar. 2026

At the same time, evangelists of a robust atheism—figures such as the biologist Richard Dawkins, the critic Christopher Hitchens, and the neuroscientist Sam Harris—toured the country offending salt-of-the-earth Americans with their contempt for religious belief. —Elizabeth Bruenig, The Atlantic, 26 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English offenden "to assail, violate, displease, hurt the feelings of," borrowed from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French offendre, borrowed from Latin offendere "to strike against, stumble (upon), trouble, break a rule, displease, annoy," from of-, assimilated variant of ob- ob- + -fendere presumably, "to strike, hit" (unattested without prefixes) — more at defend

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a

Phrases Containing offend

• offend the eye

Rhymes for offend

• amend
• append
• ascend
• attend
• backend
• befriend
• boyfriend
• commend
• compend
• contend
• defend
• depend

Kids Definition

offend

verb

of·​fend ə-ˈfend 

1

: to do wrong : sin

2

: to cause to be angry or annoyed : displease

that language offends me

offender noun

Legal Definition

offend

intransitive verb

of·​fend ə-ˈfend 

: to commit an offense

offender noun