as in insulting
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Dissimilar Words
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in violating
to fail to keep
offended conventional standards of uniformity by not adhering to the company dress code
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of offending
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
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
In an effort to send a message to any minors planning to descend on the Jersey Shore for a weekend of lawbreaking and recklessness, Vaz is vowing to prosecute both the offending child and their parents.
—Julia Bonavita, FOXNews.com, 22 May 2026
The offending symbol still stays there and demands to be dealt with.
—Charlotte Maracina, USA Today, 20 May 2026
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
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
In an effort to send a message to any minors planning to descend on the Jersey Shore for a weekend of lawbreaking and recklessness, Vaz is vowing to prosecute both the offending child and their parents.
—Julia Bonavita, FOXNews.com, 22 May 2026
The offending symbol still stays there and demands to be dealt with.
—Charlotte Maracina, USA Today, 20 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for offending
Adjective
-
Pratt came in with an insulting offer and needed to be pushed.—
Heather Merrick,
Hartford Courant,
11 June 2026
-
The New York Times last week reported about his relationships with previous girlfriends, some of whom viewed him positively and others who described him as volatile and insulting.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
8 June 2026
Verb
-
Kaufmyn was found guilty of interfering with a business, trespassing with intent to interfere with a business, unlawful assembly and refusal to disburse at a riot.—
Tim Fang,
CBS News,
10 June 2026
-
As if breaking the law would offer a symbolic release from this double bind, the third video documents Liden trespassing into the apartment of an anonymous hoarder.—
Erika Landström,
Artforum,
2 June 2026
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
Verb
-
This is the justification for killing people, which, by the way, does not sound that different from the justifications governments offer for violating people’s human rights.—
Jen Chaney,
Vulture,
17 June 2026
-
The group sued to block the probe, alleging the agency was violating its First Amendment rights.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
17 June 2026
Adjective
-
Reese pulled down 17 rebounds, 11 on the offensive end, recording her ninth double-double of the season with 15 points.—
Christopher Harris,
CBS News,
15 June 2026
-
Added to that underwhelming start were nine turnovers, all of which contributed to a middling offensive performance that helped San Antonio build its sizable lead.—
Kyle Feldscher,
CNN Money,
14 June 2026
Verb
-
With little money and competitive standards falling, players started leaving Ghana earlier than before, and not always to go to Europe.—
Simon Hughes,
New York Times,
17 June 2026
-
Video of the incident shows Backs being confronted and falling backward.—
Joan Murray,
CBS News,
17 June 2026
Verb
-
The perk here is that the material holds up to cold weather by stretching and expanding without breaking, requiring fewer repairs and resource use.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
17 June 2026
-
State Medicaid programs might try to reroute some of those dollars — adding to their overall administrative nightmare created by all these late-breaking rule changes.—
Lisa Jarvis,
Mercury News,
16 June 2026
Adjective
-
The insurance company has alleged that a rogue AI robot masterminded Dela Torre’s campaign to improperly challenge her settlement agreement, generating a flurry of baseless and abusive filings that cost $300,000 to contest.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
15 June 2026
-
Many figures within evangelicalism have promoted an aggressive, domineering, even abusive view of manhood—affixing to it, as Du Mez argues, the label biblical.—
Peter Wehner,
The Atlantic,
10 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Offending.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/offending. Accessed 18 Jun. 2026.
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