- parts of speech:
- verb, noun
- features:
- Word History, Word Explorer
| part of speech: |
verb |
| pronunciation: |
ihn
suhlt
|
| inflections: |
insults, insulting, insulted |
| definition: |
to speak to or treat without respect or in a way that hurts feelings.
His comments about her clothes insulted her.- synonyms:
- affront
- antonyms:
- compliment
- similar words:
- abuse, humiliate, offend, put down, slight, snub, taunt
|
| related words: |
attack, wound |
|
|
|
|
| part of speech: |
noun |
| pronunciation: |
In
suhlt
|
| definition: |
a rude statement or action that hurts someone's feelings.
Not attending her sister's wedding was an insult to the family.- synonyms:
- affront
- antonyms:
- compliment
- similar words:
- dig, offense, slight, snub, wound
|
| related words: |
abuse |
| derivations: |
insultingly (adv.), insulter (n.) |
Insult comes from a Latin word that means "to leap at" or leap upon." By the 1600s, it had come to mean "to treat with scorn and abuse." Today, an insult is an assault that uses words, not the body.