insult

1 of 2

verb

in·​sult in-ˈsəlt How to pronounce insult (audio)
insulted; insulting; insults

transitive verb

: to treat with insolence, indignity, or contempt : affront
also : to affect offensively or damagingly
doggerel that insults the reader's intelligence

intransitive verb

archaic : to behave with pride or arrogance : vaunt
insulter noun

insult

2 of 2

noun

in·​sult ˈin-ˌsəlt How to pronounce insult (audio)
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
Choose the Right Synonym for insult

offend, outrage, affront, insult mean to cause hurt feelings or deep resentment.

offend need not imply an intentional hurting but it may indicate merely a violation of the victim's sense of what is proper or fitting.

hoped that my remarks had not offended her

outrage implies offending beyond endurance and calling forth extreme feelings.

outraged by their accusations

affront implies treating with deliberate rudeness or contemptuous indifference to courtesy.

deeply affronted by his callousness

insult suggests deliberately causing humiliation, hurt pride, or shame.

insulted every guest at the party

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
Verb
Nationalist Chinese users accused Apple of trying to insult China—despite the fact that Apple used the photo globally. Lionel Lim, Fortune Asia, 12 Mar. 2024 Still, Schiff — through his role as a House impeachment manager and regular appearances on cable news — was the most visible and forceful foil to Trump, who regularly criticized him at rallies and insulted him on social media. Laura J. Nelson, Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 2024 Such claims mislead customers and insult the Ukrainians who sacrifice their essential lives to defend freedom for all. Bennett Freeman, Fortune, 4 Mar. 2024 The Cassirer family, their attorneys and Jewish organizations say those arguments have not only been rejected by the courts, but are insulting — trading on the dangerous stereotype of Jewish greed by suggesting the family is looking to be paid twice. Kevin Rector, Los Angeles Times, 5 Mar. 2024 While other bricks are engraved with the names of families and tributes — part of a fundraiser for the Athenaeum Foundation — this one insults cheese. The Indianapolis Star, 29 Feb. 2024 After Trump publicly insulted LeBron James, Rogers highlights, Melania had her press secretary, Stephanie Grisham, issue a statement that praised the basketball player. Virginia Chamlee, Peoplemag, 27 Feb. 2024 Adding injury to insult, the 7,000 lb. sculpture was damaged when a contractor attempted to move it during construction of the Fairmont Hotel in the mid-’80s and wound up being scrapped. Sal Pizarro, The Mercury News, 24 Feb. 2024 All throughout, McNamara and his texting partners liberally use the N-word to refer to each other and Black people and also make multiple homophobic and misogynistic comments and at least one remark insulting Asian people. Robert Salonga, The Mercury News, 20 Feb. 2024
Noun
Four young men had been detained for allegedly hanging an effigy of Vinícius off a bridge in Madrid in January, while three others were arrested on suspicion of being involved in racist insults aimed at the Brazilian on May 21 of the same year. Matias Grez, CNN, 19 Mar. 2024 By embracing the No Sabo Kid identifier, young Latinos who grew up as millennials or part of Gen Z have taken an insult and turned it around, said Stella Rouse, a political science professor and director of Arizona State University's Hispanic Research Center. Daniel Gonzalez, The Arizona Republic, 18 Mar. 2024 Ava is also the show’s resident insult comic, and Janine is her preferred target. Molly Fischer, The New Yorker, 18 Mar. 2024 Many saw these decisions as an insult to victims and began organizing to protect their rights. Allen Arthur, The Christian Science Monitor, 11 Mar. 2024 Threets has publicly responded to all of these insults with kindness, encouraging his followers not to harass anyone and accepting apologies with a gracious smile and Mr. Rogers quote. Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 1 Mar. 2024 Her shameless, shameful actions and blatant attempt to Etch-A-Sketch away the past is an insult to anyone with even a modicum of intelligence. Mark Z. Barabak, Los Angeles Times, 25 Feb. 2024 Trump’s personal insults of McConnell and McConnell’s wife aside — McConnell knows that Trump is sympathetic to Putin and hostile to Ukraine. Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 7 Mar. 2024 In a final insult, Washington guard Sahvir Wheeler banked in a three-pointer at the end of the shot clock from about 40 feet out with less than a minute to play. Ben Bolch, Los Angeles Times, 1 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

Time Traveler
The first known use of insult was in 1540

Dictionary Entries Near insult

Cite this Entry

“Insult.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/insult. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

insult

1 of 2 verb
in·​sult in-ˈsəlt How to pronounce insult (audio)
: to treat or speak to with disrespect or scorn
insulter noun

insult

2 of 2 noun
in·​sult ˈin-ˌsəlt How to pronounce insult (audio)
: 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 How to pronounce insult (audio)
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 tuberculosisJournal of the American Medical Association
2
: 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

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