Definition of OFFEND
to transgress the moral or divine law : sin; to violate a law or rule : do wrong; to cause difficulty, discomfort, or injury… See the full definition
offend
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of·fend
|
offended
;
offending
;
offends
Definition of
offend
1
a
:
to transgress (see
:
sin
if it be a sin to covet honor, I am the most
offending
soul alive
— William Shakespeare
b
:
to violate a law or rule
:
do wrong
offend
against the law
2
a
:
to cause difficulty, discomfort, or injury
took off his shoe and removed the
offending
pebble
b
:
to cause dislike, anger, or vexation
thoughtless words that
offend
needlessly
1
a
:
violate
,
transgress
a contract not
offending
a statute … might still be in restraint of trade
— C. A. Cooke
b
:
to cause pain to
:
hurt
tasteless billboards that
offend
the eye
2
obsolete
:
to cause to sin or fall
3
:
to cause (a person or group) to feel hurt, angry, or upset by something said or done
was
offended
by their language
She carefully worded her comments so as not to
offend
anyone.
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Other Words from
offend
offender
noun
Synonyms for
offend
Synonyms
,
,
,
,
,
,
Choose the Right Synonym for
offend
offend
,
outrage
,
affront
,
insult
mean to cause hurt feelings or deep resentment.
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
outrage
implies offending beyond endurance and calling forth extreme feelings.
outraged
by their accusations
affront
implies treating with deliberate rudeness or contemptuous indifference to courtesy.
deeply
affronted
by his callousness
insult
suggests deliberately causing humiliation, hurt pride, or shame.
insulted
every guest at the party
Examples of
offend
in a Sentence
His comments about minority groups
offended
many of us.
She had carefully worded her comments so as not to
offend
anyone.
It
offends
me that you would make such a remark.
Don’t worry. I wasn’t
offended
.
I felt a little
offended
by their lack of respect.
Some people are
offended
by the song’s lyrics.
I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to
offend
you.
I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to
offend
.
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Recent Examples on the Web
Mondale’s was the demeanor of a reasonable man who could be counted on not to
offend
or embarrass his allies.
—
Patrick Condon,
Star Tribune
, “Walter Mondale, who rose from small-town Minnesota to vice presidency, dies at 93,” 19 Apr. 2021
Over His three years of ministry, Jesus managed to
offend
just about everyone, especially religious authorities.
—
The Rev. Bill Thomas,
baltimoresun.com/maryland/carroll
, “Thomas: The same spirit that raised Jesus from the dead can breathe life into all mortal bodies | RELIGION COMMENTARY,” 2 Apr. 2021
This was Drummond tiptoeing around the margins, trying his best to not
offend
, focusing on his willingness to defend.
—
Dan Woike,
Los Angeles Times
, “Lakers’ big challenge: How does Andre Drummond fit, and who’s the odd man out?,” 30 Mar. 2021
In May, your competitiveness could come across as abrasive, so be careful not to
offend
anyone.
—
Tribune Content Agency,
oregonlive
, “Horoscope for April 2, 2021: Aries, make your mark in the business world; Virgo, it’s a good day to ask a favor,” 2 Apr. 2021
At this time, when getting the vaccine is a polarizing issue, Hinch tried not to
offend
anyone while still expressing his opinion.
—
Jeff Seidel,
Detroit Free Press
, “Getting Detroit Tigers the COVID-19 vaccine is more complicated than it sounds,” 30 Mar. 2021
Banning behavior that will endanger or
offend
yourself or other guests must be done politely, which means in individual conversations before the day of the event.
—
Washington Post
, “Miss Manners: Head off masking and political disputes before guests arrive,” 3 Mar. 2021
Using data about previous defendants, the algorithm tries to calculate the probability that an individual will re-
offend
.
—
Hannah Fry,
The New Yorker
, “What Data Can’t Do,” 22 Mar. 2021
In reality, anyone who has tried to develop a survey or intake form asking for demographic information has grappled with the challenges of asking diversity questions in a way that does not alienate or
offend
specific affinity groups.
—
Paolo Gaudiano,
Forbes
, “Why Diversity Data Alone Can’t Measure Commitment To Diversity, Equity And Inclusion,” 19 Mar. 2021
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word ‘offend.’ Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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First Known Use of
offend
14th century, in the meaning defined at
intransitive sense 1a
History and Etymology for
offend
Middle English
offenden
“to assail, violate, displease, hurt the feelings of,” borrowed from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French
offendre,
borrowed from Latin
offendere
“to strike against, stumble (upon), trouble, break a rule, displease, annoy,” from
of-,
assimilated variant of
ob-
ob-
+
-fendere
presumably, “to strike, hit” (unattested without prefixes) — more at
defend
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offend
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offend
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offend
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offend
Last Updated
26 Apr 2021
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Cite this Entry
“Offend.”
Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary
, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/offend. Accessed 1 May. 2021.
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offend
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offend
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Translation of
offend
for Spanish Speakers
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Translation of
offend
for Arabic Speakers
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offend
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