as in sarcasms
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 offends
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insulted their hosts by casually remarking about the outdated look of their home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
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Recent Examples of insults
Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 28 Apr. 2026
According to Politico, the conversation was nothing but a tirade of insults.
—Tom Jurkowsky, Baltimore Sun, 25 Apr. 2026
Tweeting out insults to Angela Merkel?
—W. James Antle Iii, The Washington Examiner, 25 Apr. 2026
Dual insults — one from the US president and another from a Russian commentator — flung at Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni appear to be uniting at least some of her critics behind her.
—Barbie Latza Nadeau, CNN Money, 24 Apr. 2026
Will his insults of Pope Leo XIV continue?
—Bernard Condon, Fortune, 23 Apr. 2026
Some British researchers are counting the ways, asking people around the country to send them swear words and insults that might be little known to outsiders.
—Isabella Kwai, New York Times, 22 Apr. 2026
The president often hurled insults at Bezos and his ownership of The Washington Post, as well as his tax record.
—Annie Palmer,justin Papp, CNBC, 21 Apr. 2026
There are comic insults and lines of great beauty.
—Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 21 Apr. 2026
Justin Davidson, Vulture, 7 Apr. 2026
As the President insults allies, woos dictators, and spurns long-standing commitments, Rubio has to convince his counterparts that America will not entirely abandon its friends.
—Dexter Filkins, New Yorker, 12 Jan. 2026
The paddling comes as revenge for multiple times Marty insults the businessman throughout the movie.
—Tommy McArdle, PEOPLE, 26 Dec. 2025
Basil, of course, is far from perfect, a rude, neurotic, accident-prone manager who insults guests, hides his gambling winnings from his wife and organizes an elaborate impersonation of her when his surprise anniversary party backfires.
—Rhett Bartlett, HollywoodReporter, 28 Oct. 2025
Attorney General Pam Bondi insults Democrats in Senate hearing.
—Sudiksha Kochi, USA Today, 8 Oct. 2025
In the case of Governor Pritzker insults his body, body shamed him.
—Khaleda Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Aug. 2025
No matter how many times Putin insults the president and ignores his calls for a total ceasefire in Ukraine, Trump returns for more humiliation.
—Trudy Rubin, Mercury News, 15 Aug. 2025
Noun
The president has spent a decade calling his rivals communists and traitors, among other hyperbolic insults.
—Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 28 Apr. 2026
According to Politico, the conversation was nothing but a tirade of insults.
—Tom Jurkowsky, Baltimore Sun, 25 Apr. 2026
Tweeting out insults to Angela Merkel?
—W. James Antle Iii, The Washington Examiner, 25 Apr. 2026
Dual insults — one from the US president and another from a Russian commentator — flung at Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni appear to be uniting at least some of her critics behind her.
—Barbie Latza Nadeau, CNN Money, 24 Apr. 2026
Will his insults of Pope Leo XIV continue?
—Bernard Condon, Fortune, 23 Apr. 2026
Some British researchers are counting the ways, asking people around the country to send them swear words and insults that might be little known to outsiders.
—Isabella Kwai, New York Times, 22 Apr. 2026
The president often hurled insults at Bezos and his ownership of The Washington Post, as well as his tax record.
—Annie Palmer,justin Papp, CNBC, 21 Apr. 2026
There are comic insults and lines of great beauty.
—Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 21 Apr. 2026
Verb
Saariaho never once loses control of momentum and never insults her own tastefulness.
—Justin Davidson, Vulture, 7 Apr. 2026
As the President insults allies, woos dictators, and spurns long-standing commitments, Rubio has to convince his counterparts that America will not entirely abandon its friends.
—Dexter Filkins, New Yorker, 12 Jan. 2026
The paddling comes as revenge for multiple times Marty insults the businessman throughout the movie.
—Tommy McArdle, PEOPLE, 26 Dec. 2025
Basil, of course, is far from perfect, a rude, neurotic, accident-prone manager who insults guests, hides his gambling winnings from his wife and organizes an elaborate impersonation of her when his surprise anniversary party backfires.
—Rhett Bartlett, HollywoodReporter, 28 Oct. 2025
Attorney General Pam Bondi insults Democrats in Senate hearing.
—Sudiksha Kochi, USA Today, 8 Oct. 2025
In the case of Governor Pritzker insults his body, body shamed him.
—Khaleda Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Aug. 2025
No matter how many times Putin insults the president and ignores his calls for a total ceasefire in Ukraine, Trump returns for more humiliation.
—Trudy Rubin, Mercury News, 15 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for insults
Noun
-
First seen at a night-club table of menacing lowlifes, Ida, whose mother tongue is Brooklynese, suddenly switches to a heavy British accent and dispenses a torrent of highly literary sarcasms.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Very little offends me in a moral sense in the theater, but parts of this script came close.—
Chris Jones,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Obviously the blandness of a tan wall offends them.—
Joan Morris,
Mercury News,
9 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
More recently, Tandy Hills experienced issues with ATVs being driven through the park and damaging wildflowers, sparking outrages on social media from people who demanded the city take action.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
25 Mar. 2026
-
As has always been the case in my life, my main way of responding to political outrages is through writing and reading.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Owen is a serial killer who, much like Zodiac, taunts the police with phone calls threatening the murder of innocent citizens.—
Rosy Cordero,
Deadline,
14 Apr. 2026
-
So much for Anthropic's Super Bowl taunts.—
Alexei Oreskovic,
Fortune,
10 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Streep’s second go-round, by contrast, unfolds as a series of micro-indignities—a plunge from her Olympian perch, one stumble at a time.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
29 Apr. 2026
-
These were among the thousand or so individual indignities visited upon the Walt Disney Company’s workforce this week.—
Eric Vilas-Boas,
Vulture,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Chops, gouges, wounds it like the shadow grooves on the sidewalks—the sun is setting earlier.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
16 Mar. 2026
-
Imperfect fleshly reality occupies the stage, the region where bones crack and wounds suppurate, schlumpy humans fall for each other, and jealousy roams murderously free.—
Justin Davidson,
Vulture,
11 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Tensions rose, neighbors said, to the point that King was heard at times swearing at Kirsten Wells as well as others using vulgar epithets.—
Laura Bauer,
Kansas City Star,
26 Mar. 2026
-
On that day, the mob hurled racist epithets, smoke bombs, and fists at him.—
Philip Elliott,
Time,
4 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
And while the performances and the writing are still spackled with amusing barbs and observations about some of the grossest people in American life, The Audacity is missing a crucial forward momentum.—
Scott Tobias,
Vulture,
26 Apr. 2026
-
The barbs that President Barack Obama and Seth Meyers hurled at him created a political narrative that persists.—
Elahe Izadi,
Washington Post,
25 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Insults.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/insults. Accessed 3 May. 2026.
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