insult 1 of 2

insult

2 of 2

verb

Synonym Chooser

How is the word insult distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of insult are affront, offend, and outrage. While all these words mean "to cause hurt feelings or deep resentment," insult suggests deliberately causing humiliation, hurt pride, or shame.

insulted every guest at the party

When might affront be a better fit than insult?

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

deeply affronted by his callousness

When would offend be a good substitute for insult?

The words offend and insult are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, 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 outrage be a reasonable alternative to insult?

The words outrage and insult can be used in similar contexts, but 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 insult
Noun
Then came the final insult for the child. Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 30 Sep. 2025 Many of the European players were subjected to dreadful abuse from the galleries, unprintable vulgarities and some deeply personal insults. Don Riddell, CNN Money, 29 Sep. 2025
Verb
Last September, when news broke that another friend of Kraus’s, the journalist Olivia Nuzzi, had exchanged intimate texts with Kennedy, Kraus wrote a Substack post accusing Nuzzi of ensnaring Kennedy and insulted her looks on Instagram. Clare Malone, New Yorker, 15 Sep. 2025 And he was known to also publicly malign and insult the Prophet of Islam, Prophet Muhammad. Jose R. Gonzalez, AZCentral.com, 14 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for insult
Recent Examples of Synonyms for insult
Verb
  • Reporters in the Brady Room earlier this week were greeted by the meme on a loop; the vice president, addressing them on the shutdown, laughed at Democrats who were offended by the trope.
    David Weigel, semafor.com, 3 Oct. 2025
  • And faculty worry that teaching certain subject matter and texts might offend students and, if students complain, lead to administrative sanctions.
    Louis Menand, New Yorker, 26 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • The sarcasm has passed down generations.
    Brian Anthony Hernandez, PEOPLE, 27 Sep. 2025
  • The decision in Gardner’s favor could become a significant ruling for celebrities who use humor, exaggeration and sarcasm that some might find inappropriate when responding to strangers on social media platforms.
    Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 25 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • As if to prove the magnificent treasures within Paris now belonged to the German dictator, the statue of Great War French hero General Mangin—which outraged the Führer—was destroyed.
    Christopher C. Gorham September 29, Literary Hub, 29 Sep. 2025
  • In fact, Western leaders are mostly appeasing domestic constituencies outraged by the suffering of ordinary Gazans.
    Bloomberg Opinion, Twin Cities, 16 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • The Long Walk is unsparing in its depiction of violence, as well as the other indignities the boys face along the way.
    Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 11 Sep. 2025
  • Today, the Court needlessly subjects countless more to these exact same indignities.
    Dan Gooding Hannah Parry, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Insult.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/insult. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on insult

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