as in insulting
Related Words
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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
show current usage.
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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
Shania Russell,
Entertainment Weekly,
28 June 2026
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
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
The offending video reportedly did not appear to have been shared publicly until after Keyser joined the show in episode 17 and producers were not aware of it at the time of the vetting process.
—
Shania Russell,
Entertainment Weekly,
28 June 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for offending
Adjective
-
Considering there were only 33 appearances this past season, such Heat prudence hardly could be viewed as insulting.
-
What Florence has been doing is consistent and insulting.
Verb
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Instead of Cady as rapist, Cape Fear seems to be going for a general theme of Cady as violator, someone who is trespassing not singularly on a female body but on the Bowdens’ trustworthiness.
-
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.
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.
Verb
-
Officials accused her in the letter of violating the university’s time, place and manner policy, which sets rules on free speech activities on campus.
-
In March, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel filed a lawsuit against Kalshi for allegedly violating the state's Lawful Sports Betting Act by allowing residents to participate in sports betting under the form of trading event contracts.
Adjective
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After missing most of the 2024-25 schedule because of a torn Achilles, Smith returned for the start of last season and earned consistent playing time because of his pesky perimeter defense and steady offensive game in a backup point guard role.
-
One after another, Kyle Tucker and Dalton Rushing broke up their offensive slumps with home runs.
Verb
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The report will also provide insight into whether American workers’ paychecks are falling further behind inflation.
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But Musk fell short of the yearly 5% minimum the IRS legally requires his foundation to give away, after falling roughly $423 million short in 2023.
Verb
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The planet’s oceans are at unprecedented temperatures for this time of year, breaking the all-time June record, according to new data, with alarming implications for global weather and marine life.
-
Click here to have breaking news alerts sent directly to your inbox.
Adjective
-
The film has been described as a Social Network-esque feature that covers the tumultuous 2023 period in which Altman, amid AI safety concerns and reports of abusive behavior, was fired and rehired by OpenAI within a matter of days.
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Better intervention programs for abusive men could help, too, Salinas said, but most of those arrested on domestic violence charges never complete such a program.
Cite this Entry
“Offending.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/offending. Accessed 2 Jul. 2026.
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