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insulted their hosts by casually remarking about the outdated look of their home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
Helen Regan, CNN Money, 21 Aug. 2025
The fourth-year coach is having none of it, dismissing outside opinions as irrelevant and insulting.
—Edgar Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 20 Aug. 2025
Cassandra Burke Robertson, The Conversation, 8 Oct. 2025
His defensiveness and insulting you and dismissing your feelings, in my opinion means he's emotionally attached to her, especially with the nickname.
—Meredith Wilshere, PEOPLE, 4 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for insulting
Adjective
Those found guilty of criticizing, insulting, defaming or threatening the king, queen, or heir apparent can be jailed for between three and 15 years for each count, with some sentences stretching to 50 years.
—Helen Regan, CNN Money, 21 Aug. 2025
The fourth-year coach is having none of it, dismissing outside opinions as irrelevant and insulting.
—Edgar Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 20 Aug. 2025
Verb
Between 2014 and 2020, Erdogan investigated 160,000 Turks for insulting the president and prosecuted 45,000 of them, including a 14-year-old boy.
—Cassandra Burke Robertson, The Conversation, 8 Oct. 2025
His defensiveness and insulting you and dismissing your feelings, in my opinion means he's emotionally attached to her, especially with the nickname.
—Meredith Wilshere, PEOPLE, 4 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for insulting
Recent Examples of Synonyms for insulting
Adjective
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If Alonso leaves, replacing his offensive production will be another focal point.—
Aaliyan Mohammed,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 Nov. 2025
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The show leans into this offensive, problematic plot device without any self-awareness.—
Tom Smyth,
Vulture,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
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When no one in the Fortune 500 wants to risk offending Trump, leave it to Spike the Fine Motor Hedgehog to take care of business.—
Newsweek Staff,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 Nov. 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
Adjective
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We were inspired by their outrageous VHS cover art that promised epic tales of heroic barbarians rescuing buxom babes from giant monsters.—
Bear McCreary,
HollywoodReporter,
7 Nov. 2025
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Be outrageous, ridicule the fraidy-cats, rejoice in all the oddities that freedom can produce.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Or, like teenager Kashmira, to escape the sight of her abusive and absentee father’s genetics in the mirror every morning.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 Nov. 2025
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Though they were still subjected to abusive practices, tenants usually knew their landlords and saw them often, and rents were much more stable.—
Cassie Powell,
The Conversation,
3 Nov. 2025
Verb
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The kickers were so poor that Boston College head coach Bill O’Brien could have been flagged for taunting by calling for a prevent defense at his own 31-yard line just before halftime.—
Pete Sampson,
New York Times,
2 Nov. 2025
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The child has been taunting Geralt the whole time; the mother, who emerges from the swamp, is desperate for love and warmth and begs for Geralt’s embrace.—
Scott Meslow,
Vulture,
30 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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In the years intervening, the poem has remained a lodestar, a contravening presence when, in present day America’s vituperative political landscape, the humanities disciplines and higher education itself has been forced to invoke and defend its own authority.—
Elaine L. Wang
September 11,
Literary Hub,
11 Sep. 2025
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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
Verb
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Who can embody masculinity without disrespecting women or gay people, who can speak to the men—particularly young men of color—leaving the party in droves.—
Molly Ball,
Time,
29 Oct. 2025
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From disrespecting local customs to getting pickpocketed, to forgetting to reapply sunscreen to overpacking, European tour guides have truly seen it all.—
Jillian Dara,
Travel + Leisure,
18 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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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
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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
Cite this Entry
“Insulting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/insulting. Accessed 9 Nov. 2025.
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