as in offending
to cause hurt feelings or deep resentment in
insulted their hosts by casually remarking about the outdated look of their home
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in offensive
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
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 insulting
Troy Renck, Denver Post, 6 Aug. 2025
To not even reach 10 percent is insulting to all involved and indicates how much needs to change, which is exactly what a group of industry power players are attempting to do in Nashville.
—Steve Baltin, Forbes.com, 23 July 2025
The New Yorker, New Yorker, 18 Aug. 2025
Jackson Lamb is glorious to play because of that insulting humor.
—Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 18 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for insulting
Verb
Payton finds the implication insulting.
—Troy Renck, Denver Post, 6 Aug. 2025
To not even reach 10 percent is insulting to all involved and indicates how much needs to change, which is exactly what a group of industry power players are attempting to do in Nashville.
—Steve Baltin, Forbes.com, 23 July 2025
Adjective
The protagonist of this audaciously spoofy spy novel is Hal Knight, a comedian who has resigned in disgrace from his other job, as a Democratic congressman, after a video depicting him insulting an actress went viral.
—The New Yorker, New Yorker, 18 Aug. 2025
Jackson Lamb is glorious to play because of that insulting humor.
—Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 18 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for insulting
Recent Examples of Synonyms for insulting
Verb
-
Democrats and progressives are unsure of much, wary of offending anyone in their coalition, and unclear who will lead them in 2028.—
David Weigel,
semafor.com,
3 Sep. 2025
-
Linehan shared the allegedly offending X posts on his Substack page.—
Etan Vlessing,
HollywoodReporter,
2 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
This team is once again dealing with turnover at offensive coordinator, with Kevin Patullo promoted over the offseason to replace Kellen Moore, who is now head coach of the Saints.—
Tyler Everett,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 Sep. 2025
-
The same message came Wednesday after another offensive disappearing act.—
Fabian Ardaya,
New York Times,
4 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Expecting dull days and strict rules, the boy instead stumbles into a world of delightful chaos and imagination – where outrageous stories are spun, and a world of wonder, memory, and mischief unfolds.—
Andreas Wiseman,
Deadline,
5 Sep. 2025
-
With eviction just around the corner, the duo embarks on a wild hustle through Los Angeles, pulling off increasingly outrageous stunts to stay afloat — while trying to keep their friendship from going under.—
James Mercadante,
PEOPLE,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Trump has also threatened to fire Fed Chair Jerome Powell, often taunting him with name-calling.—
Alex Veiga,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Aug. 2025
-
That entanglement allowed Biden to traverse the country haranguing business on equity, climate, daycare, union labor, and other whole-of-government crusades—while taunting Republicans who relented for the sake of home-district dollars.—
Clyde Wayne Crews Jr,
Forbes.com,
25 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
As the young protagonist, Wil Wheaton channeled his own abusive childhood into his role as the younger boy in a family grieving the loss of beloved elder son Denny (John Cusack).—
Sezin Devi Koehler September 1,
EW.com,
1 Sep. 2025
-
John Greenway, Managing Partner, founded the firm in 2017 to address abusive creditor behavior and the general lack of support for debtors, a philosophy that the company still follows.—
Jason Phillips,
USA Today,
29 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
The caller berated Dipoto for disrespecting his uniform number.—
Tyler Kepner,
New York Times,
20 Aug. 2025
-
Megyn Kelly can’t seem to praise her beloved Sydney Sweeney without disrespecting Beyoncé in the same breath.—
Mya Abraham,
VIBE.com,
6 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Even the company’s most vituperative detractors acknowledge its engineering genius and applaud its success in driving down launch expenses (unlike many defense contractors, SpaceX largely eats the cost of its failures).—
Franklin Foer,
The Atlantic,
28 July 2025
-
Transcripts of the depositions conducted by utility lawyers were made public Friday in Superior Court and hundreds of pages of questions and answers suggest questions about who contributed what to the vituperative oped may never be answered to everyone’s satisfaction.—
Edmund H. Mahony,
Hartford Courant,
25 July 2025
Adjective
-
The justices who renounced that lie in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Center exposed themselves to scurrilous criticisms and even threats to their safety.—
The Editors,
National Review,
24 June 2025
-
Players known for sometimes scurrilous behavior were scared off by that lifetime ban.—
John Nogowski,
Hartford Courant,
14 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Insulting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/insulting. Accessed 8 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share