offend

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(ə-fĕnd') pronunciation

v., -fend·ed, -fend·ing, -fends.

v.tr.
  1. To cause displeasure, anger, resentment, or wounded feelings in.
  2. To be displeasing or disagreeable to: Onions offend my sense of smell.
    1. To transgress; violate: offend all laws of humanity.
    2. To cause to sin.
v.intr.
  1. To result in displeasure: Bad manners may offend.
    1. To violate a moral or divine law; sin.
    2. To violate a rule or law: offended against the curfew.

[Middle English offenden, from Old French offendre, from Latin offendere.]

SYNONYMS   offend, insult, affront, outrage. These verbs mean to cause resentment, humiliation, or hurt. To offend is to cause displeasure, wounded feelings, or repugnance in another: "He often offended men who might have been useful friends" (John Lothrop Motley). Insult implies gross insensitivity, insolence, or contemptuous rudeness: "I . . . refused to stay any longer in the room with him, because he had insulted me" (Anthony Trollope). To affront is to insult openly, usually intentionally: "He continued to belabor the poor woman in a studied effort to affront his hated chieftain" (Edgar Rice Burroughs). Outrage implies the flagrant violation of a person's integrity, pride, or sense of right and decency: "Agnes . . . was outraged by what seemed to her Rose's callousness" (Mrs. Humphry Ward).


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verb

  1. To cause resentment or hurt by callous, rude behavior: affront, huff, insult, miff, outrage, pique. Idioms: add insult to injury, give offense to. See attack/defend, pain/pleasure.
  2. To be very disagreeable to: displease. Slang turn off. Idioms: give offense to, not setrightwellwith. See like/dislike, pain/pleasure.
  3. To violate a moral or divine law: err, sin, transgress, trespass. See right/wrong.


v

Definition: displease, insult
Antonyms: compliment, delight, please

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pronunciation

IN BRIEF: v. - Hurt the feelings of; Act in disregard of laws, rules, contracts, or promises.

pronunciation If all printers were determined not to print anything till they were sure it would offend nobody, there would be very little printed. — Benjamin Franklin

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Random House Word Menu:

categories related to 'offend'

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Random House Word Menu by Stephen Glazier
For a list of words related to offend, see:

  See crossword solutions for the clue Offend.
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Dansk (Danish)
v. tr. - fornærme, støde
v. intr. - forsynde sig, forse sig, støde an

Nederlands (Dutch)
beledigen, grieven, krenken, ontstemmen

Français (French)
v. tr. - offenser, blesser, outrager
v. intr. - (Jur) commettre une infraction

Deutsch (German)
v. - verstoßen, Anstoß erregen, kränken

Ελληνική (Greek)
v. - προσβάλλω, επιτίθεμαι, θίγω, ενοχλώ, δυσαρεστώ, εξοργίζω, παραβαίνω

Italiano (Italian)
insultare, oltraggiare, disturbare, trasgredire, commettere un reato, mortificare, spiacere, recare offesa, suscitare risentimento

Português (Portuguese)
v. - ofender, insultar

Русский (Russian)
обижать, оскорблять

Español (Spanish)
v. tr. - ofender, afrentar, agraviar, escandalizar, herir, disgustar, desagradar
v. intr. - pecar, infringir la ley, delinquir

Svenska (Swedish)
v. - stöta, förolämpa

中文(简体)(Chinese (Simplified))
冒犯, 伤害...的感情, 触怒, 使不舒服, 违反, 犯罪, 犯过错, 引起不舒服

中文(繁體)(Chinese (Traditional))
v. tr. - 冒犯, 傷害...的感情, 觸怒, 使不舒服
v. intr. - 違反, 犯罪, 犯過錯, 引起不舒服

한국어 (Korean)
v. tr. - 성나게 하다, 감정이 상하다
v. intr. - 죄를 범하다, 남의 감정을 해치다

日本語 (Japanese)
v. - 怒らせる, 不快感を与える, 罪を犯す

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(فعل) يؤذي‏

עברית (Hebrew)
v. tr. - ‮העליב, הרגיז‬
v. intr. - ‮הפר חוק, עבר עבירה‬


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