insulted; insulting; insults
: to treat with insolence, indignity, or contempt : affront
also : to affect offensively or damagingly
doggerel that insults the reader's intelligence
archaic : to behave with pride or arrogance : vaunt
insulter noun
1
: a gross indignity : an instance of insolent or contemptuous speech or conduct
2
: injury to the body or one of its parts
also : something that causes or has a potential for causing such injury
pollution and other environmental insults
Examples of insult in a Sentence
Verb She felt they had insulted her by repeatedly ignoring her questions. We were greatly insulted by his rudeness. They're understandably insulted when no one asks for their opinion on a matter that affects them so much. Noun The fans hurled insults at the referee as he walked off the field after the game. Their decision to cancel the project was an insult to all my hard work. They got into a fight over a minor insult.
Recent Examples on the Web
Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Apr. 2026 Trump has threatened to fire Powell a number of times, as well as insulted his character and policies. —Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 16 Apr. 2026
Erin Qualey, Vulture, 13 Apr. 2026 Domingo nails it as the cutting teacher who has choice words about the robber’s style choices while his students offer their own insults. —Omar L. Gallaga, Los Angeles Times, 12 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for insult
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.
Verb
Haulcy plays like somebody insulted his family before kickoff. —Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Apr. 2026 Trump has threatened to fire Powell a number of times, as well as insulted his character and policies. —Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 16 Apr. 2026
Noun
Give me a world where people break the rules to extend kindness to one another instead of slights and insults, please! —Erin Qualey, Vulture, 13 Apr. 2026 Domingo nails it as the cutting teacher who has choice words about the robber’s style choices while his students offer their own insults. —Omar L. Gallaga, Los Angeles Times, 12 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for insult
Cite this Entry
“Insult.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.grautoblog.com/dictionary/insult. Accessed 24 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
insult
2 of 2 noun
in·sult ˈin-ˌsəlt 
: an act or expression showing disrespect or scorn
Etymology
Verb
from early French insulter "to insult," from Latin insultare "to insult, attack," literally "to leap upon," derived from in- "on, upon" and salire "to leap, spring" — related to assault, resilient
Word Origin
The phrase "to jump on" is used informally today to mean "to criticize or insult severely." The origin of the word insult also suggests the idea of jumping. Insult comes from the Latin verb insultare, literally meaning "to leap upon." It is made up of the prefix in-, meaning "on, upon," and a form of the verb salire "to leap." One of the first meanings of insult in English was "to make a military attack." That sense became obsolete, and insult now means to attack or "jump on" someone only with words of scorn or disrespect rather than with weapons.
Medical Definition
insult
noun
in·sult ˈin-ˌsəlt
1
: injury to the body or one of its parts
repeated acute vascular insults
any insult to the constitution of a patient suffering from active tuberculosis—The Journal of the American Medical Association
The Journal of the American Medical Association
2
: something that causes or has a potential for causing insult to the body
damage resulting from malnutritional insults
insult verb
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