Umbrage is a word born in the shadows. Its ultimate source (and that of umbrella) is Latin umbra, meaning “shade, shadow,” and when it was first used in the 15th century it referred to exactly that. But figurative use followed relatively quickly. Shakespeare wrote of Hamlet that "his semblable is his mirror, and who else would trace him, his umbrage, nothing more,” and by the 17th century this meaning of “vague suggestion; hint,” had been joined by other uses, including the “feeling of resentment or offense” heard today in such sentences as “many took umbrage at the speaker’s tasteless jokes.” The word’s early literal use is not often encountered, though it does live on in literature: for example, in her 1849 novel, Charlotte Brontë describes how the titular Shirley would relax “at the foot of some tree of friendly umbrage.”
huff implies a peevish short-lived spell of anger usually at a petty cause.
in a huff he slammed the door
Examples of umbrage in a Sentence
took umbrage at the slightest suggestion of disrespect
Recent Examples on the WebHowever, Pistons coach Monty Williams took umbrage with the Suns speaking out about the incident before an NBA investigation could determine what happened between Stewart and Eubanks before the game.—Sean Neumann, Peoplemag, 23 Feb. 2024 The script surrounding the two autocrats’ confab is one of unity and umbrage with the West.—Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 21 Mar. 2023 Giamatti, for his part, takes no umbrage with coziness.—Seija Rankin, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Jan. 2024 Since then, Hollywood has not produced a single film about women that’s not mired in umbrage or ineptitude.—Armond White, National Review, 26 July 2023 As a hardscrabble collection of high-school dropouts and juvenile delinquents, the Replacements’ four members came by their umbrage and fatalism organically.—Elizabeth Nelson, The New Yorker, 21 Sep. 2023 People may take umbrage with the things a company says or does for a seemingly endless number of reasons, and because these grievances are difficult—if not impossible—to predict sometimes, the list of brands targeted by a consumer boycott appears to grow year after year.—Expert Panel®, Forbes, 30 Nov. 2023 Her appointment comes amidst online umbrage generated by the announcement last week that Seán McGirr would replace Sarah Burton at Alexander McQueen, another white male joining the ranks of creative directors at luxury fashion brands in Paris and Milan.—Nicole Phelps, Vogue, 9 Oct. 2023 Yet Fain took umbrage at Biden publicly suggesting that the negotiations had broken down and that this had led to the strike.—Josh Boak, Fortune, 4 Nov. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'umbrage.' 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
Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin umbraticum, neuter of umbraticus of shade, from umbratus, past participle of umbrare to shade, from umbra shade, shadow; akin to Lithuanian unksmė shadow
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