Synonyms of affront

affront 1 of 2

noun

as in insult

an act or expression showing scorn and usually intended to hurt another's feelings

took it as an affront that she wasn't invited to say a few words at the ribbon-cutting ceremony

Synonyms & Similar Words

• insult
• offence
• sarcasm
• outrage
• indignity
• slap
• diss
• disgrace
• attack
• epithet
• slight
• offense
• slur
• name
• barb
• personality
• dart
• dis
• poke
• brickbat
• criticism
• put-down
• taunt
• shame
• jibe
• abuse
• dig
• sneer
• gird
• cut
• mock
• gibe
• disapproval
• vituperation
• invective
• jeer
• dishonor
• quip
• opprobrium
• catcall
• torture
• swipe
• knock
• torment
• slam

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• compliment
• praise
• commendation
• applause
• acclaim
• accolade
• flattery
• adulation

affront

2 of 2

verb

ə-ˈfrənt 

as in to insult

to cause hurt feelings or deep resentment in

did not mean to affront you when I told you I didn't need your help

Synonyms & Similar Words

• insult
• offend
• outrage
• disrespect
• wound
• taunt
• slap
• upset
• displease
• hurt
• disturb
• slight
• diss
• trouble
• mock
• dis
• pain
• distress
• ridicule
• snub
• disparage
• libel
• torment
• slander
• jeer
• malign
• torture
• revile
• defame
• oppress
• slur
• smear
• sneer (at)
• cut
• persecute
• miff

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• approve
• applaud
• commend
• compliment
• hail
• acclaim
• praise
• honor
• eulogize
• flatter
• exalt
• please
• delight
• satisfy
• gratify
• glorify
• adulate
• sweet-talk

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

Examples of affront in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Both sought to position their two-hour meeting as an affront to the United States and its Western allies. —Kevin Shalvey, ABC News, 18 June 2024

The events of October 7th are not an affront to Israel alone but to all civilization, Bernard Henri Levy reminds us in his passionate reporting on the events of October 7th and what has followed. —Tom Teicholz, Forbes, 11 Sep. 2024

Verb

Spearing his eggs Benedict with salmon, the silver-bearded star appears almost affronted when asked. —Andrea Mandell, Peoplemag, 1 Oct. 2023

Few scholars were more affronted by the turn their discipline was taking than Uri Simonsohn and Joseph Simmons, who were then at the University of Pennsylvania, and Leif Nelson of the University of California, Berkeley. —Noam Scheiber, New York Times, 30 Sep. 2023

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