as in offensive
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as in offending
to cause hurt feelings or deep resentment in
insulted their hosts by casually remarking about the outdated look of their home
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of insulting
Margaret Talbot, New Yorker, 26 Jan. 2026
Adjusted for inflation, the math works out somewhere between grim and insulting as the danger escalates for the series’ cast but the reward barely keeps pace.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 13 Jan. 2026
Chris Smith, Vanity Fair, 29 Jan. 2026
Despite his mediator role, Rodríguez is also known for his explosive temperament, lashing out in Congress and publicly threatening and insulting members of the opposition.
—Bloomberg Wire, Dallas Morning News, 4 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for insulting
Adjective
Yet a much more reputable but equally insulting theory about Easter Island has remained influential, even dominant, Pitts argues.
—Margaret Talbot, New Yorker, 26 Jan. 2026
Adjusted for inflation, the math works out somewhere between grim and insulting as the danger escalates for the series’ cast but the reward barely keeps pace.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 13 Jan. 2026
Verb
Trump loves insulting Newsom, who is both a leading contender for the 2028 Democratic presidential nomination and an eager troll himself.
—Chris Smith, Vanity Fair, 29 Jan. 2026
Despite his mediator role, Rodríguez is also known for his explosive temperament, lashing out in Congress and publicly threatening and insulting members of the opposition.
—Bloomberg Wire, Dallas Morning News, 4 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for insulting
Recent Examples of Synonyms for insulting
Adjective
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Denver’s defense had already lagged a bit after the bye week — the Commanders and Packers each scored 26 points and at times gave the Broncos fits — but Lawrence led one of the few offensive outings that really cracked this group open.—
Parker Gabriel,
Denver Post,
15 Feb. 2026
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Harmon wasn't the only Longhorn who scored six points in the first quarter since Madison Booker and Teya Sidberry matched that offensive effort.—
Danny Davis,
Austin American Statesman,
15 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Northern publishers expurgated literary texts for fear of offending slaveholders; antislavery publications were barred from being mailed in the South.—
Jake Lundberg,
The Atlantic,
12 Feb. 2026
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Please tell me what to do or say that will get the job done without unnecessarily embarrassing or offending this person.—
Judith Martin,
Dallas Morning News,
4 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Their Fat Tuesday tradition is to walk through the French Quarter and admire people’s intricate and outrageous costumes.—
Sara Cline,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Feb. 2026
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It’s gotten so outrageous that companies will get rid of Nvidia to, well, hire Nvidia, since these bone-crushing hyperscalers run on Nvidia.—
Jim Cramer,
CNBC,
17 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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When his father became abusive, his mother moved them to a hotel, and later an apartment, and raised Talarico in east Austin.—
Nicole Fallert,
USA Today,
17 Feb. 2026
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Related Stories Dunja, an unemployed teacher and single mom, is trying to reconstruct her life while coping with her abusive ex-husband Kemo, who’s in prison.—
Anna Marie de la Fuente,
Variety,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Defense attorney Kevin Rousseau suggested in witness questioning that Bell-Johnson, who is known as One Leg and uses a prosthetic limb, sought comfort in gang membership in part because of taunting connected to his disability.—
Emerson Clarridge
Updated February 9,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
10 Feb. 2026
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Another child care center director recounted how vehicles full of taunting men have driven by more than once.—
Frederick Melo,
Twin Cities,
6 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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But, in private, Koren could be aggressive and vituperative—a competitive colleague who sought to destroy the reputations and careers of those who crossed him.—
Ben Taub,
New Yorker,
26 Jan. 2026
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Bal and Chi-Fou-Mi Productions, while almost certainly proceeding without Israeli institutional support, given the vituperative reactions his recent films have provoked — and, by his own admission, have been designed to provoke.—
Ben Croll,
Variety,
21 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The report cards slammed several teams with anonymous comments that accused some teams of disrespecting players’ families, employing substandard training staffs and other denunciations.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
13 Feb. 2026
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After a year of Trump disrespecting European allies, many had wondered how much of the old transatlantic ties remained.—
Joseph Ataman,
CNN Money,
24 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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There were even scurrilous songs composed about the couple.—
Hadley Hall Meares,
Vanity Fair,
11 Feb. 2026
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In the Hulu version of the story, Clarke plays Alex, a middle-aged lawyer stealing money from his clients and funneling it into an opioid addiction and, the series implies, other scurrilous crimes.—
Kelly Lawler,
USA Today,
13 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Insulting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/insulting. Accessed 20 Feb. 2026.
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