Definition of 'insult'
Word forms: plural, 3rd person singular present
tense insults, present participle insulting
, past tense, past participle insulted
pronunciation note: The verb is pronounced (ɪnsʌlt
). The noun is pronounced (ɪnsʌlt
).
1. verb
I did not mean to insult you. [VERB noun]
Buchanan said he was insulted by the judge's remarks. [VERB noun]
2. countable noun
An insult is a rude remark, or something a person says or does which insults you.
Their behaviour was an insult to the people they represent. [+ to]
The prison Governor criticised some of his officers who shouted insults at prisoners
on the roof.
COBUILD Advanced English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Video: pronunciation of 'insult'
Word Frequency
insult in British
noun (ˈɪnsʌlt
)
3.
4.
a person or thing producing the effect of an affront
some television is an insult to intelligence
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Derived forms
noun
Word origin of 'insult'
verb transitive
1.
verb intransitive
noun
4.
an insulting act, remark, etc.; affront; indignity
5. Archaic
an attack; assault
SIMILAR WORDS: ofˈfend
Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
Derived forms
noun
insulting (inˈsulting)
adjective
insultingly (inˈsultingly)
adverb
Word origin of 'insult'
Example sentences containing 'insult'
These examples have been automatically selected and may contain sensitive content.
Read more…
Beyond a certain point such platitudes insults voters' intelligence. Times, Sunday Times (2016)Do not insult our intelligence. Times, Sunday Times (2016)A recent experiment asked prisoners to hurl his insults at guards, to help them express themselves and empower them. Times, Sunday Times (2016)It added:'Our members have the right to do their job in an environment free of unjustified and insulting attacks. Times, Sunday Times (2016)I watched as the militias picked out their victims, swearing at them, insulting their mothers and hurling sectarian insults. Times, Sunday Times (2016)You would not expect people to insult you on the way to the train. The Sun (2015)What a grotesque and ridiculous insult to our intelligence services. The Sun (2016)It is no insult to say that she does not write like an academic. Times, Sunday Times (2016)Two men were arrested for insulting behaviour after the flowers were set alight. The Sun (2010)An engineer was heard to mutter something insulting. The Times Literary Supplement (2010)He was evidently not offended by the insult directed toward his friend. Daniel Deronda (1876)What adds insult to injury is the fact that absolute return funds are basically pretty useless. Times, Sunday Times (2010)It would have been the final insult if he got what he wanted. The Sun (2013)What an insult to people struggling to make ends meet. The Sun (2008)This is an insult to our intelligence. The Sun (2014)And then because of the injustice he felt over a booking that added insult to injury. The Sun (2012)It is a a final insult to the families of the true victims. The Sun (2014)Thousands of other disabled people are routinely insulted in public. The Sun (2011)The whole thing was an insult to the intelligence. Times, Sunday Times (2013)It seems clear that he can understand these feelings and not experience them as an insult or an attack. Times, Sunday Times (2015)It is not meant as an insult to say that he does not think about what he is doing. Times, Sunday Times (2015)Each took a lead from the behaviour of his peers and soon it became open season for hurling insults at the royals. THE LOST KING OF FRANCE: Revolution, Revenge and the Search for Louis XVII (2002)You had to be fun, insult him a bit. Times, Sunday Times (2013)That's a bit of an insult. Times, Sunday Times (2007)Avoid insulting or attacking them. Between Worlds: A Reader, Rhetoric and Handbook (1995)It is not an insult to say that he was not the man most spectators were cheering for as the Open reached its climax yesterday. Times, Sunday Times (2009)
Quotations
This is adding insult to injuriesThe Foundling
Trends of 'insult'
In Common Usage. insult is one of the 10000 most commonly used words in the Collins dictionary
View usage for:
Translations for 'insult'
British English: insult
/ˈɪnsʌlt/ NOUN
An insult is a rude remark or action which offends someone.
They shouted insults at each other.
- American English: insult
- Arabic: إِهَانَةٌ
- Brazilian Portuguese: insulto
- Chinese: 侮辱
- Croatian: uvreda
- Czech: urážka
- Danish: fornærmelse
- Dutch: belediging
- European Spanish: insulto
- Finnish: loukkaus
- French: insulte
- German: Beleidigung
- Greek: προσβολή
- Italian: offesa
- Japanese: 侮辱
- Korean: 모욕
- Norwegian: fornærmelse
- Polish: obraza
- European Portuguese: insulto
- Romanian: insultă
- Russian: оскорбление
- Spanish: insulto
- Swedish: förolämpning
- Thai: การดูถูก
- Turkish: hakaret
- Ukrainian: образа
- Vietnamese: sự lăng mạ
British English: insult
/ɪnˈsʌlt/ VERB
If you insult someone, you offend them by being rude to them.
I did not mean to insult you.
- American English: insult
- Arabic: يَهِيـنُ
- Brazilian Portuguese: insultar
- Chinese: 侮辱
- Croatian: uvrijediti
- Czech: urazit hrubě se dotknout
- Danish: fornærme
- Dutch: beledigen
- European Spanish: insultar
- Finnish: loukata
- French: insulter
- German: beleidigen
- Greek: προσβάλλω
- Italian: offendere
- Japanese: 侮辱する
- Korean: 모욕하다
- Norwegian: fornærme
- Polish: obrazić
- European Portuguese: insultar
- Romanian: a insulta
- Russian: оскорблять
- Spanish: insultar
- Swedish: förolämpa
- Thai: ดูถูก
- Turkish: hakaret etmek
- Ukrainian: ображати
- Vietnamese: lăng mạ
Nearby words of 'insult'
Related Terms of 'insult'
Source
Definition of insult from the
Collins English Dictionary
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