insulted; insulting; insults
: to treat with insolence, indignity, or contempt : affront
also
: to affect offensively or damagingly
doggerel that insults the reader's intelligence
archaic
: to behave with pride or arrogance : vaunt
insulter
noun
1
: a gross indignity : an instance of insolent or contemptuous speech or conduct
2
: injury to the body or one of its parts
also
: something that causes or has a potential for causing such injury
pollution and other environmental insults
Synonyms
Examples of insult in a Sentence
Verb
She felt they had insulted her by repeatedly ignoring her questions.
We were greatly insulted by his rudeness.
They're understandably insulted when no one asks for their opinion on a matter that affects them so much.
Noun
The fans hurled insults at the referee as he walked off the field after the game.
Their decision to cancel the project was an insult to all my hard work.
They got into a fight over a minor insult.
Recent Examples on the Web
Mike O'Sullivan, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024
The movie, based on a real story, takes place in the 1920s in Littlehampton, a seaside town in England, where people have been receiving anonymous, vile, insulting letters.
—Maëlle Beauget-Uhl, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
The meeting went on for two hours and 41 minutes, with board members interrupting and insulting one another and raising their voices to the point that the board vice president had to bang a gavel to stop the arguing.
—Michelle Boorstein, Washington Post, 22 Mar. 2024
The second case involved an incident on Oct. 8, 2010, at the same bar, where he was accused of insulting a 40-year-old woman.
—Julia Moore, Peoplemag, 21 Mar. 2024
Filters flag obscene or insulting language for further review.
—Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, 21 Mar. 2024
Jimmy Kimmel on Sunday called out former President Donald Trump on stage after Trump insulted Kimmel and his hosting on social media.
—Kate Sullivan, CNN, 11 Mar. 2024
The line about the autoimmune disorder was, in fact, inspired by the infamous Oscars slap between Will Smith and Chris Rock, after Rock insulted Jada Pinkett-Smith’s alopecia.
—Jackie Strause, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Mar. 2024
When voicing these thoughts in response to their queries, I have been met by some with surprise and it’s perceived as insulting by others who are showing concern for me.
—Jeanne Phillips, The Mercury News, 20 Feb. 2024
Genevieve Glatsky, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2024
The range of insults sprinkled in with a healthy dose of f-bombs is truly awe-inspiring.
—Kaely Monahan, The Arizona Republic, 5 Apr. 2024
The Rocky Creek slip-out is insult to the real injury, said Gafill: the massive slide — known as Paul’s Slide — that buried the highway to the south in January 2023.
—Grace Toohey, Los Angeles Times, 3 Apr. 2024
In the register of insults that make absolutely no sense, Wicked Little Letters has a pretty good amount of them.
—Maëlle Beauget-Uhl, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
Some former parks board members saw the manner in which Holland was dismissed an insult.
—Mike Hendricks, Kansas City Star, 22 Mar. 2024
Right-wing critics say Ms. Nakamura’s music does not represent France, and the prospect of her performing has led to a barrage of racist insults online against her.
—Aurelien Breeden, New York Times, 26 Mar. 2024
Fatima has a young son, Abdelkader, who is Black, and as a result she is shunned in her village and her son is subjected to racist insults.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 20 Mar. 2024
From insult to badge of pride for young Latinos How Tucson's Maria Urquides changed US schooling to become the mother of bilingual education
Phoenix City Council last appointed members in 2018, when former councilmembers Kate Gallego and Daniel Valenzuela resigned their seats to run for mayor.
—Taylor Seely, The Arizona Republic, 18 Mar. 2024
Verb
In recent years, French politicians have in general failed to live up to this bond – infamously in 2008 when Nicolas Sarkozy insulted someone (‘casse-toi pauvre con’) at the Salon.
—Mike O'Sullivan, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024
The movie, based on a real story, takes place in the 1920s in Littlehampton, a seaside town in England, where people have been receiving anonymous, vile, insulting letters.
—Maëlle Beauget-Uhl, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
The meeting went on for two hours and 41 minutes, with board members interrupting and insulting one another and raising their voices to the point that the board vice president had to bang a gavel to stop the arguing.
—Michelle Boorstein, Washington Post, 22 Mar. 2024
The second case involved an incident on Oct. 8, 2010, at the same bar, where he was accused of insulting a 40-year-old woman.
—Julia Moore, Peoplemag, 21 Mar. 2024
Filters flag obscene or insulting language for further review.
—Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, 21 Mar. 2024
Jimmy Kimmel on Sunday called out former President Donald Trump on stage after Trump insulted Kimmel and his hosting on social media.
—Kate Sullivan, CNN, 11 Mar. 2024
The line about the autoimmune disorder was, in fact, inspired by the infamous Oscars slap between Will Smith and Chris Rock, after Rock insulted Jada Pinkett-Smith’s alopecia.
—Jackie Strause, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Mar. 2024
When voicing these thoughts in response to their queries, I have been met by some with surprise and it’s perceived as insulting by others who are showing concern for me.
—Jeanne Phillips, The Mercury News, 20 Feb. 2024
Noun
Across the region, the diplomatic rhetoric has deteriorated, with presidents lashing out at one another with a barrage of insults that may appear petty on the world stage but have the potential to play well at home, particularly with their ideological bases.
—Genevieve Glatsky, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2024
The range of insults sprinkled in with a healthy dose of f-bombs is truly awe-inspiring.
—Kaely Monahan, The Arizona Republic, 5 Apr. 2024
The Rocky Creek slip-out is insult to the real injury, said Gafill: the massive slide — known as Paul’s Slide — that buried the highway to the south in January 2023.
—Grace Toohey, Los Angeles Times, 3 Apr. 2024
In the register of insults that make absolutely no sense, Wicked Little Letters has a pretty good amount of them.
—Maëlle Beauget-Uhl, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
Some former parks board members saw the manner in which Holland was dismissed an insult.
—Mike Hendricks, Kansas City Star, 22 Mar. 2024
Right-wing critics say Ms. Nakamura’s music does not represent France, and the prospect of her performing has led to a barrage of racist insults online against her.
—Aurelien Breeden, New York Times, 26 Mar. 2024
Fatima has a young son, Abdelkader, who is Black, and as a result she is shunned in her village and her son is subjected to racist insults.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 20 Mar. 2024
From insult to badge of pride for young Latinos How Tucson's Maria Urquides changed US schooling to become the mother of bilingual education
Phoenix City Council last appointed members in 2018, when former councilmembers Kate Gallego and Daniel Valenzuela resigned their seats to run for mayor.
—Taylor Seely, The Arizona Republic, 18 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'insult.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Verb
Middle French or Latin; Middle French insulter, from Latin insultare, literally, to spring upon, from in- + saltare to leap — more at saltation
First Known Use
Verb
1540, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense
Noun
1671, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Phrases Containing insult
Dictionary Entries Near insult
Cite this Entry
“Insult.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/insult. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
insult
2 of 2 noun
in·sult
ˈin-ˌsəlt 
: an act or expression showing disrespect or scorn
Etymology
Verb
from early French insulter "to insult," from Latin insultare "to insult, attack," literally "to leap upon," derived from in- "on, upon" and salire "to leap, spring" — related to assault, resilient
Word Origin
The phrase "to jump on" is used informally today to mean "to criticize or insult severely." The origin of the word insult also suggests the idea of jumping. Insult comes from the Latin verb insultare, literally meaning "to leap upon." It is made up of the prefix in-, meaning "on, upon," and a form of the verb salire "to leap." One of the first meanings of insult in English was "to make a military attack." That sense became obsolete, and insult now means to attack or "jump on" someone only with words of scorn or disrespect rather than with weapons.
Medical Definition
insult
noun
in·sult
ˈin-ˌsəlt
1
: injury to the body or one of its parts
repeated acute vascular insults
any insult to the constitution of a patient suffering from active tuberculosis—Journal of the American Medical Association
Journal of the American Medical Association2
: something that causes or has a potential for causing insult to the body
damage resulting from malnutritional insults
insult
verb
More from Merriam-Webster on insult
Nglish: Translation of insult for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of insult for Arabic Speakers
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