affront 1 of 2

affront

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verb

Synonym Chooser

How is the word affront distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of affront are insult, offend, and outrage. While all these words mean "to cause hurt feelings or deep resentment," affront implies treating with deliberate rudeness or contemptuous indifference to courtesy.

deeply affronted by his callousness

When is it sensible to use insult instead of affront?

While the synonyms insult and affront are close in meaning, insult suggests deliberately causing humiliation, hurt pride, or shame.

insulted every guest at the party

When can offend be used instead of affront?

Although the words offend and affront have much in common, 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

In what contexts can outrage take the place of affront?

The synonyms outrage and affront are sometimes interchangeable, but outrage implies offending beyond endurance and calling forth extreme feelings.

outraged by their accusations

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of affront
Noun
The latest affront: new cuts to food stamps or Supplemental Nutrition Assistant Program (SNAP) benefits from $6.20 a day per person to a paltry $4.80. Hank Cardello, Forbes.com, 27 Mar. 2025 To single anyone out is almost an affront to the film’s spirit. Justin Chang, New Yorker, 4 Apr. 2025
Verb
The two women, initially welcomed, soon affront their hosts with their pesky independence of mind and spirit. Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 20 Dec. 2024 For a sense of how Raheem Sterling might be feeling right now, consider that this is a player who felt affronted from the moment his starting place at Manchester City began to come under threat. Oliver Kay, The Athletic, 19 Aug. 2024 See All Example Sentences for affront
Recent Examples of Synonyms for affront
Noun
  • The order is so blatant in its attempt to rewrite history that to call it Orwellian would be something of an insult to Big Brother.
    Megan Garber, The Atlantic, 29 Apr. 2025
  • Earbuds have become the pedestrian’s car stereo, a kind of acoustic Bubble Wrap shielding us from noise or chatter or insults and makes obsolete a once-fundamental New York experience: the casual interaction.
    Justin Davidson, Curbed, 25 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • The hapless student, of course, could not afford to offend this senior professor and said something polite and carried on with his talk.
    Shivaram Rajgopal, Forbes.com, 27 Apr. 2025
  • Amanda immediately feels offended by her sister’s comment.
    Vanessa Etienne, People.com, 25 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • President Donald Trump also has launched an agency review and cut funds for some FEMA grant programs, outraging officials in states where those funds already had been committed.
    Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA Today, 2 May 2025
  • Photo: Everett Collection Local critics were outraged by the movie that put the Master of Venereal Horror on the world-cinema map.
    A.A. Dowd, Vulture, 28 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • Think of Wendy’s social media interactions that use wit, humor and just the right bit of sarcasm to give the brand a personality all its own.
    Ken Braun, Forbes.com, 7 May 2025
  • Ten years ago, Phish seemed like a massive long-shot to ever score a nomination, with a nearly insurmountable mountain of sarcasm from critics standing between Phish and the Rock Hall.
    Jim Harrington, Mercury News, 15 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Affront.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/affront. Accessed 11 May. 2025.

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