offend

1
as in to trespass
to commit an offense since this is the first time you've offended, we'll let you off lightly

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

2
3

Synonym Chooser

How is the word offend distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of offend are affront, insult, and outrage. While all these words mean "to cause hurt feelings or deep resentment," offend need not imply an intentional hurting but it may indicate merely a violation of the victim's sense of what is proper or fitting.

hoped that my remarks had not offended her

Where would affront be a reasonable alternative to offend?

The synonyms affront and offend are sometimes interchangeable, but affront implies treating with deliberate rudeness or contemptuous indifference to courtesy.

deeply affronted by his callousness

When would insult be a good substitute for offend?

In some situations, the words insult and offend are roughly equivalent. However, insult suggests deliberately causing humiliation, hurt pride, or shame.

insulted every guest at the party

When might outrage be a better fit than offend?

The words outrage and offend are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, outrage implies offending beyond endurance and calling forth extreme feelings.

outraged by their accusations

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 offend But in the early seventies, in the immediate aftermath of the Charles Manson murders, plenty of people were both scared and offended by the group’s lyrics and imagery—that was part of the reason why the band made such an impression. Kelefa Sanneh, New Yorker, 25 July 2025 The team and its supporters mentioned a 2004 poll by the Annenberg Public Policy Center that found that a majority of Native Americans were not offended by the name. Christine Brennan, CNN Money, 22 July 2025 The alchemist, offended, replies, my job was the engineering, not the economics. Michael Lynch, Forbes.com, 25 July 2025 President Donald Trump has already silenced ABC, CBS, and Facebook, extorting millions of dollars from them for offending him. Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for offend
Recent Examples of Synonyms for offend
Verb
  • Tamura also carried a private investigator license and had a misdemeanor for trespassing not amounting to burglary in 2023.
    Bradford Betz , Brooke Curto , Kyle Schmidbauer, FOXNews.com, 29 July 2025
  • In 2021, a man from Maine plead guilty to trespassing on Old Faithful and was sentenced to 15 days in jail, McClatchy News reported.
    Brooke Baitinger, Sacbee.com, 29 July 2025
Verb
  • After a couple of insulting caricatures, increasingly bizarre depictions of the Vice President started to spread through the internet, the trend becoming a competition to see who could create the most hideous, weird or original Vance.
    Dani Di Placido, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2025
  • More to the point, these kinds of claims insult the officers who are actually doing the work.
    Diane Goldstein, Oc Register, 5 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • According to Calo, the court order doesn't technically violate OpenAI's terms of service, which say the company must retain data to comply with legal orders.
    Nicole Fallert, USA Today, 16 Aug. 2025
  • The idea of making this sort of gesture, at a time when Texas Republicans are violating the spirit of the rules, is understandably hard for Democrats to consider.
    Colin Pascal, Baltimore Sun, 16 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • But, if wages don’t rise to match those jumps, consumer spending could fall and slow the economy.
    Raul Elizalde, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2025
  • For months, however, the proposal has been in limbo as gang violence surges, more neighborhoods fall and the country sets a new record, 1.3 million, for the number of people displaced by the violence.
    Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 14 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • Booker's comment outraged Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., 65, another prospective and former 2020 White House contender, who needled him for missing a committee hearing on the bipartisan package.
    Phillip M. Bailey, USA Today, 2 Aug. 2025
  • Hogan, shocked and outraged by the publication, filed a lawsuit charging Gawker with invasion of privacy, infringement of personality rights, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
    Chris Morris, Fortune, 24 July 2025
Verb
  • Kids and adults can take part in homesteading classes, check out a show in the 30-foot planetarium dome, participate in seasonal programming, or simply wander around the properties’ six historic buildings, including a drugstore, school, church, and cabin.
    Patricia Shannon, Southern Living, 7 Aug. 2025
  • There are also shots of Slurp wandering through a Christmas carnival, Tyler hiding in what appears to be a sewer before emerging back into civilization in a cloak, and Enid nervously wielding a sword.
    Selome Hailu, Variety, 7 Aug. 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Offend.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/offend. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on offend

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!