as in sarcasm
an act or expression showing scorn and usually intended to hurt another's feelings
panelists on that political talk show simply exchange insults, not ideas
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to offend
to cause hurt feelings or deep resentment in
insulted their hosts by casually remarking about the outdated look of their home
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of insult
Ashleigh Fields, The Hill, 24 Oct. 2025
With every enemy dead, the familiar sounds of the Halo universe are gone — there’s no Grunts squeaking insults or Jackals chattering in another language.
—Alyssa Mercante, Rolling Stone, 24 Oct. 2025
Mathew Rodriguez, Them., 27 Oct. 2025
According to Pakistan's blasphemy laws, people who insult Islam or Islamic figures can face a possible death sentence.
—NPR, 24 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for insult
Noun
Paul is no stranger to Trump’s ire and was subjected to insults from the president in a Truth Social post earlier this week.
—Ashleigh Fields, The Hill, 24 Oct. 2025
With every enemy dead, the familiar sounds of the Halo universe are gone — there’s no Grunts squeaking insults or Jackals chattering in another language.
—Alyssa Mercante, Rolling Stone, 24 Oct. 2025
Verb
Bieber responded by covering the bulge with a blanket, then sharing that people had, in fact, called her trans while trying to insult her physical appearance.
—Mathew Rodriguez, Them., 27 Oct. 2025
According to Pakistan's blasphemy laws, people who insult Islam or Islamic figures can face a possible death sentence.
—NPR, 24 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for insult
Recent Examples of Synonyms for insult
Noun
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Cleveland says narcissists often disguise sarcasm as humor, slipping in cutting remarks about your intelligence, competence, or appearance but framing them as playful.—
Angela Haupt,
Time,
30 Oct. 2025
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While the track leans toward sarcasm, the soon-to-be-anthem perfectly captures a generational sentiment.—
Jessica Roiz,
Billboard,
17 Oct. 2025
Verb
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It was intentionally designed to provoke, to offend, and to remind us that bigotry is still alive and well in certain corners of local leadership.—
Eleanor Dearman,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
30 Oct. 2025
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While most scented soaps do a mediocre job of masking food smells with harsh, cheap fragrances, Naomi’s scrub neutralizes offending odors with bread-yeast enzymes, then leaves behind subtle, but incredibly luxurious notes of bergamot, black pepper, sandalwood, and ginger.—
Editors of Bon Appétit,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
29 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Huda issues an apology after downplaying the incident After initially downplaying the outrage over her reaction, Mustafa posted another statement on Wednesday publicly apologizing to Carthen.—
Taylor Ardrey,
USA Today,
31 Oct. 2025
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If KitKat, the beloved feline hit on Monday, had been struck by a human driver, the outrage would’ve been relatively tempered.—
Reed Albergotti,
semafor.com,
31 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Perhaps this move will head off that particular indignity.—
Max Foster,
CNN Money,
31 Oct. 2025
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Expectations should be modest given the past year of United indignity, but at least Lammens brings a reset to the starting lineup.—
Steven Louis Goldstein,
New York Times,
19 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Greenstein and Goldberg tried — and failed — to dissuade their boss from giving Will Smith and his company Westbrook an overall deal with the studio, arguing that the Oscar-slap controversy and a dodgy box office track record would result in more headaches than hits.—
Tatiana Siegel,
Variety,
4 Nov. 2025
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That included two stellar stops in the waning seconds of the third with Carolina on the power play, rebuffing a slap shot and then blocking the rebound with his leg pad.—
Kyle Newman,
Denver Post,
24 Oct. 2025
Noun
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This is an affront to human dignity and that’s incredibly terrifying.—
Khaleda Rahman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Oct. 2025
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This was quite an affront to the members of De Stijl who believed otherwise.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
15 Oct. 2025
Noun
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In fact, the term itself was an epithet throughout the founding era, a way to describe ignorant and easily deceived popular majorities, perpetually vulnerable to demagogues.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Oct. 2025
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According to research from Copyleaks, an AI analysis firm that helps businesses and institutions navigate the shifting landscape of this emergent technology, a new trend has produced Sora videos of celebrities appearing to spew hateful racist epithets.—
Miles Klee,
Rolling Stone,
23 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Insult.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/insult. Accessed 7 Nov. 2025.
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