Synonyms of offending

offending 1 of 2

adjective

as in insulting

Related Words

• insulting
• offensive
• abusive
• outrageous
• affronting
• opprobrious
• vitriolic
• invective
• scurrilous
• vituperative
• indecent
• outraging
• contumelious
• filthy
• obscene
• gross
• truculent
• vulgar
• foul
• crude
• coarse
• dirty
• foulmouthed
• vituperatory
• contemptuous
• defamatory
• scandalous
• scornful
• potty-mouthed
• malicious
• disdainful
• scurrile
• slanderous
• libelous
• hateful
• nasty
• vilifying
• maligning
• malevolent
• spiteful
• traducing
• unbridled
• immoderate
• intemperate
• unrestrained

Dissimilar Words

• moderate
• civil
• respectful
• temperate
• deferential
• polite
• courteous
• judicious
• gracious
• discreet
• tempered
• laudatory
• mannerly
• encomiastic
• praiseful
• laudative

offending

2 of 2

verb

present participle of offend

1

as in trespassing

to commit an offense

since this is the first time you've offended, we'll let you off lightly

Synonyms & Similar Words

• trespassing
• falling
• wandering
• straying
• sinning
• erring
• transgressing
• violating
• infringing
• breaking the law
• breaching
• falling from grace
• lapsing
• backsliding
• breaking
• messing up

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• justifying
• forgiving
• pardoning
• regretting
• repenting
• ruing

2

as in outraging

to cause hurt feelings or deep resentment in

the visitor unintentionally offended his hosts terribly by failing to compliment them on the elaborately prepared meal

Synonyms & Similar Words

• insulting
• outraging
• taunting
• upsetting
• affronting
• slapping
• disrespecting
• wounding
• displeasing
• hurting
• disturbing
• mocking
• troubling
• slighting
• distressing
• dissing
• ridiculing
• snubbing
• torturing
• tormenting
• jeering
• defaming
• maligning
• disparaging
• oppressing
• cutting
• libeling
• smearing
• slandering
• paining
• persecuting
• reviling
• slurring
• sneering (at)
• miffing

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• approving
• applauding
• praising
• hailing
• complimenting
• commending
• acclaiming
• eulogizing
• honoring
• flattering
• gratifying
• exalting
• glorifying
• pleasing
• satisfying
• delighting
• adulating
• sweet-talking

3

as in violating

to fail to keep

offended conventional standards of uniformity by not adhering to the company dress code

Synonyms & Similar Words

• violating
• breaking
• breaching
• contravening
• transgressing
• fracturing
• infringing (on or upon)
• traducing
• ignoring
• disobeying
• disregarding
• neglecting
• dismissing
• rebelling
• flouting
• resisting
• slighting
• overlooking
• brushing (off)
• scorning
• passing over
• blowing off
• tuning out
• winking (at)
• withstanding
• defying
• overpassing
• shrugging off
• pooh-poohing

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• following
• observing
• conforming (to)
• complying (with)
• serving
• obeying
• submitting (to)
• yielding (to)
• regarding
• hearing
• marking
• listening (to)
• attending
• watching
• noting
• noticing
• minding
• surrendering (to)
• deferring (to)
• heeding

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of offending

Adjective

Occasionally, some nitwit will play chicken with the offending lane changer, get in front of him or her, and stop the car in the middle of the road to continue with verbal and nonverbal critique of the offender’s driving skills. —Oc Register, 18 May 2026

Charles has since apologized and deleted the offending TikTok, but the controversy continues, igniting social media discourse. —Dani Di Placido, Forbes.com, 15 May 2026

By the next day, Google had pulled down the offending videos. —Todd Spangler, Variety, 14 May 2026

Place a bowl of coffee grounds in the offending area (or, in the case of your shoes, place dry grounds in an old sock or cloth tied up and leave overnight inside the shoe) and let the grounds absorb unpleasant odors, says Rocky Vuong, founder of Calibre Cleaning Unlimited. —Alexandra Kelly, Martha Stewart, 9 May 2026

Co-offending refers to when two or more offenders participate in a crime. —Rosemary Feitelberg, Footwear News, 1 May 2026

The Washington Post, which broke the news, ran the offending word in both its headline and story. —Harmeet Kaur, CNN Money, 8 Apr. 2026

Something seems to be afoot, since the offending robots were operated by two different companies. —Frank Landymore, Futurism, 26 Mar. 2026

The Defringe option in Affinity improves matters, but the software doesn't have an eyedropper to hone in on the offending shade of magenta. —Michael Muchmore, PC Magazine, 13 Mar. 2026

Verb

Qatari midfielder Assim Madibo was sent off for the offending tackle and appeared distraught before he was ejected. —Mark Hodge, NBC news, 19 June 2026

What started as a fun way to get into the tournament spirit took an unexpected turn when they were served with legal papers from FIFA’s lawyers last Friday and ordered to cease and desist trading in the offending apparatus. —Amy Lawrence, New York Times, 15 June 2026

During an engineering call, one engineer suggested that most of the offending library might not actually be necessary. —Scott Breitenother, Forbes.com, 11 June 2026

When the local library pulls a few of Cricket’s semi-nude life drawing portraits down for fear of offending their patrons, Olympia becomes his advocate and champion. —Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times, 8 June 2026

Travelers often worry about coming off as rude or offending someone, but your personal safety is foremost, so trust your gut. —Patricia Doherty, Travel + Leisure, 5 June 2026

Emergency crews first cut off power to the tracks before removing the offending vehicle. —Victor Tangermann, Futurism, 4 June 2026

So the Devil orders the father to cut off his daughter’s offending hands. —Literary Hub, 3 June 2026

As soon as the customers would walk out of sight, the drivers would take photos of the offending vehicle, then back their flatbeds into place and load them up, usually within a couple of minutes. —Kelsy Mittauer, CBS News, 3 June 2026