View synonyms for insult

insult

[ verb in-suhlt; noun in-suhlt ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

verb (used with object)

to treat or speak to insolently or with contemptuous rudeness; affront.
Synonyms: abuse, injure, scorn, offend
Antonyms: compliment
to affect as an affront; offend or demean.
Archaic. to attack; assault.

verb (used without object)

Archaic. to behave with insolent triumph; exult contemptuously (usually followed by on, upon, or over ).

noun

an insolent or contemptuously rude action or remark; affront.
Synonyms: outrage, offense
Antonyms: compliment
something having the effect of an affront:
That book is an insult to one's intelligence.
Medicine/Medical.
1. an injury or trauma.
2. an agent that inflicts this.
Archaic. an attack or assault.

insult

verb

to treat, mention, or speak to rudely; offend; affront
obsolete.
to assault; attack

noun

an offensive or contemptuous remark or action; affront; slight
a person or thing producing the effect of an affront
some television is an insult to intelligence
med an injury or trauma
add insult to injury
to make an unfair or unacceptable situation even worse

Discover More

Derived Forms

inˈsulter, noun

Discover More

Other Words From

in·sulta·ble adjective
in·sulter noun
prein·sult verb (used with object)
quasi-in·sulted adjective
unin·sulta·ble adjective
unin·sulted adjective

Discover More

Word History and Origins

Origin of insult¹

First recorded in 1560–70; from Latin insultāre “to jump on, insult,” equivalent to in- in- ² + -sultāre, combining form of saltāre “to jump”; saltant

Discover More

Word History and Origins

Origin of insult¹

C16: from Latin insultāre to jump upon, from in- ² + saltāre to jump

Discover More

Idioms and Phrases

see add insult to injury .

Discover More

Synonym Study

Insult, indignity, affront, slight imply an act that injures another's honor, self-respect, etc. Insult implies such insolence of speech or manner as deeply humiliates or wounds one's feelings and arouses to anger. Indignity is especially used of inconsiderate, contemptuous treatment toward one entitled to respect. Affront implies open disrespect or offense shown, as it were, to the face. Slight may imply inadvertent indifference or disregard, which may also indicate ill-concealed contempt.

Discover More

Example Sentences

It was like a constant assault, an almost stupefying catalogue of mindless racial insult and injury.

From The Daily Beast

Insult to injury, its $43 million gross was less than one-fifth of what Ted took in.

From The Daily Beast

The cardinals had such a bad reputation that the very term “cardinal” became an insult in Renaissance Rome.

From The Daily Beast

To add insult to injury, he procured male escorts while traveling for school business.

From The Daily Beast

Watching novelists insult one another is one of the primary pleasures of his biography.

From The Daily Beast

Yet how came it that even a low-caste mongrel of a Lascar should offer such an overt insult to a Brahmin!

From Project Gutenberg

He passed to and fro in the city without the least insult being offered him by any Spaniard.

From Project Gutenberg

Insult and outrage seemed to have given that bodily vigour to Ripperda, which medicine and surgery had taken no pains to restore.

From Project Gutenberg

He was determined to have it, if only because no greater insult can be inflicted on a Mohammedan than to bare his head.

From Project Gutenberg

This provided for, I will protect myself from future insult, depend upon it.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Insull insultation

Browse