insult Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun a rude expression intended to offend or hurt
    revilement; abuse; vilification; contumely.
    • when a student made a stupid mistake he spared them no abuse
    • they yelled insults at the visiting team
  2. noun a deliberately offensive act or something producing the effect of deliberate disrespect
    affront.
    • turning his back on me was a deliberate insult
  3. verb treat, mention, or speak to rudely
    diss; affront.
    • He insulted her with his rude remarks
    • the student who had betrayed his classmate was dissed by everyone

WordNet

In"sult noun
Etymology
L. insultus, fr. insilire to leap upon: cf. F. insulte. See Insult, v. t.
Definitions
  1. The act of leaping on; onset; attack. Obs. Dryden.
  2. Gross abuse offered to another, either by word or act; an act or speech of insolence or contempt; an affront; an indignity.
    The ruthless sneer that insult adds to grief. Savage.
    Syn. -- Affront; indignity; abuse; outrage; contumely. See Affront.
In*sult" transitive verb
Etymology
F. insulter, L. insultare, freq. fr. insilire to leap into or upon; pref. in- in, on + salire to leap. See Salient.
Wordforms
imperfect & past participle Insulted; present participle & verbal noun Insulting
Definitions
  1. To leap or trample upon; to make a sudden onset upon. Obs. Shak.
  2. To treat with abuse, insolence, indignity, or contempt, by word or action; to abuse; as, to call a man a coward or a liar, or to sneer at him, is to insult him.
In*sult" intransitive verb
Definitions
  1. To leap or jump.
    Give me thy knife, I will insult on him. Shak.
    Like the frogs in the apologue, insulting upon their wooden king. Jer. Taylor.
  2. To behave with insolence; to exult. Archaic
    The lion being dead, even hares insult. Daniel.
    An unwillingness to insult over their helpless fatuity. Landor.

Webster 1913