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

As a bald eagle named Indy occasionally screeched at an offending hawk that flew overheard, speakers talked about the time capsule as a message to future generations about Americans’ hopes, values and lives in 2025. — Karissa Waddick, USA Today, 4 July 2026

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

Verb

Organizations often overlook early warning signs because the offending individual delivers strong business results. — Rodger Dean Duncan, Forbes.com, 30 July 2026

That feels easy enough to follow, particularly when breaking the rule risks offending Zeus, the god of foreigners. — Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 17 July 2026

Slowing everything down can keep the offending germ—and the toxins some produce—in your gut longer, rather than helping your body clear it. — Angela Haupt, Time, 15 July 2026

This will cause Defender to hang and keep a lock on the offending files that holds the entire disk space. — Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 9 July 2026

The murder rate usually rises and falls alongside other crimes, so through the 2010s, with property crime and overall youth offending dropping, criminologists expected the murder trend to follow suit. — James Tuttle, The Conversation, 9 July 2026

The escalation should start with a warning from the chair, followed by a motion of the board of censure (asking the owner to quiet down), followed by a motion to eject the offending owner from the meeting. — Kelly G. Richardson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 July 2026

Slow-motion replays and still images distort the offending player’s actions, with innocuous tackles looking more serious. — Tom Bogert, New York Times, 2 July 2026

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