insulting 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of insultingnext
as in offensive

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Dissimilar Words

insulting

2 of 2

verb

present participle of insult
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to cause hurt feelings or deep resentment in insulted their hosts by casually remarking about the outdated look of their home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

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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
Adjective
But to compare them with Thomas Jefferson or American soldiers storming the beaches of Normandy is absurd and more than a little insulting. — Culture Critic, Los Angeles Times, 15 June 2026 Pratt came in with an insulting offer and needed to be pushed. — Heather Merrick, Hartford Courant, 11 June 2026
Verb
In June 2022, Cuban authorities sentenced Otero Alcántara to five years in prison on charges including public disorder, contempt and insulting national symbols. — Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 20 July 2026 Odysseus gets into trouble in the first place by insulting the gods, thus making an enemy of Poseidon. — Jim Beckerman, USA Today, 16 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for insulting
Recent Examples of Synonyms for insulting
  1. offensive
  2. offending
  3. outrageous
  4. outraging
  5. abusive
  6. taunting
  7. vituperative
  8. disrespecting
Adjective
  • Sabally departed for New York after the 2025 season, and the Mercury have struggled to replace her offensive production, ranking 12th in the league in offensive rating this year.
    — Sabreena Merchant, New York Times, 2 Aug. 2026
  • The poor offensive production spoiled a night when the Angels got good enough pitching, despite scratching Soriano.
    — Jeff Fletcher, Oc Register, 2 Aug. 2026
Definition of offensive
Verb
  • O’Herrin notes that chopping down the offending tree is not going solve your issue in the long term.
    — Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 4 Aug. 2026
  • Organizations often overlook early warning signs because the offending individual delivers strong business results.
    — Rodger Dean Duncan, Forbes.com, 30 July 2026
Definition of offending
Adjective
  • If there were credible evidence supporting these outrageous accusations, that simply would not be the case.
    — Joseph Konig, PEOPLE, 29 July 2026
  • The business world has quickly learned that there’s such a thing as using too much AI, as they get slammed with outrageous token bills.
    — Frank Landymore, Futurism, 29 July 2026
Definition of outrageous
Verb
  • On Day 1 of the truce, and in the days since, Israel has stepped up attacks against Hezbollah, an Iranian proxy, in Lebanon, outraging Iran and leading to accusations the terms had been breached.
    — Justin Fishel, ABC News, 10 Apr. 2026
Definition of outraging
Adjective
  • Attorneys representing Emmanuel Haro's 3-year-old claimed Riverside County failed to protect the children from their abusive parents, ultimately leading to the 7-month-old's death last year.
    — Matthew Rodriguez, CBS News, 31 July 2026
  • Her attorneys have alleged that Obumseli was abusive and argued that Clenney was a battered partner.
    — Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 31 July 2026
Definition of abusive
Verb
  • Gunther once again took his attention away from Aldis by taunting Aldis’ wife—WWE Hall of Famer Mickie James—and his son Donovan.
    — Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2026
  • The ancient namesake ammunition detailed by researchers at Spain’s Autonomous University of Barcelona is only the latest example of Roman soldiers’ penchant for taunting their enemies from afar.
    — Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 30 July 2026
Definition of taunting
Adjective
  • In Maine, Graham Platner — who, like Avila Chevalier, had a vituperative social media history — easily defeated the state’s governor, Janet Mills, for the Senate nomination.
    — Michelle Goldberg, Mercury News, 27 June 2026
  • The Irish comedy writer has become better known for his assertion that trans women are men and criticism of trans activism, expressed in often vituperative social media posts.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 1 May 2026
Definition of vituperative
Verb
  • The leak itself received a mountain of backlash from industry professionals, animators and others for disrespecting the years of work put into crafting the film.
    — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 7 July 2026
  • His obsession with disrespecting the talents of all Americans is now costing us dearly.
    — Gary Franks, Hartford Courant, 27 June 2026
Definition of disrespecting

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insulting
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Cite this Entry

“Insulting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/insulting. Accessed 9 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on insulting

Nglish: Translation of insulting for Spanish Speakers

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