of·fend

v. of·fend·ed, of·fend·ing, of·fends

[Middle English offenden, from Old French offendre, from Latin offendere; see g^when- in Indo-European roots.]

of·fend′er n.

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: "My father had insulted her by refusing to come to our wedding" (James Carroll).
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: "He revered the men and women who transformed this piece of grassland into a great city, and he was outraged by the attacks on their reputation" (James S. Hirsch).

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.