insults 1 of 2

noun

plural of insult
as in sarcasms
an act or expression showing scorn and usually intended to hurt another's feelings panelists on that political talk show simply exchange insults, not ideas

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insults

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of insult
as in offends
to cause hurt feelings or deep resentment in insulted their hosts by casually remarking about the outdated look of their home

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of insults
Noun
In a round robin of insults, Proto blasted the incumbent Democratic senator who first won election in 2022. — Christopher Keating, Hartford Courant, 14 Oct. 2026 But even with such attitudinal strides, Pew Research shows that people’s fears about AI’s societal impact are high, and digital choirs hurl insults at any project featuring the tech. — Corbin Bolies, Variety, 13 Oct. 2026 Mathews gathered his belongings and began walking toward his vehicle, but after crossing to the other side of a park fence, an exchange of insults between the pair caused a physical confrontation. — Leigh Egan, FOXNews.com, 10 Oct. 2026 That would be a rich coda to the audio leak, considering that Oaxacans received some of the nastiest insults. — Los Angeles Times, 9 Oct. 2026 But the conflict heightened last week, with insults flying back and forth. — Marshall Cohen, CNN Money, 7 Oct. 2026 A lot of that is studying how dry bone, fresh bone, bone that is exposed to different types of forces will react to different types of insults. — Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 5 Oct. 2026 Tellingly, administration officials shared clips of Bondi’s insults in real time on social media. — David Wippman, Washington Post, 5 Oct. 2026 Frazier was a Black sharecropper’s son who’d overcome much hardship, and the insults stung. — Britannica Editors, Encyclopedia Britannica, 29 Sep. 2026
Verb
That's what happens when your star insults moviegoers or goes off on tangents about the characters's sexuality. — Ian Miller Outkick, FOXNews.com, 5 July 2026 Ohm quickly insults nearly every employee at this small hotel within moments of meeting them, except for the young, pretty bartender, Fiona (Florence Ordesh). — ABC News, 29 Apr. 2026 Saariaho never once loses control of momentum and never insults her own tastefulness. — Justin Davidson, Vulture, 7 Apr. 2026 As the President insults allies, woos dictators, and spurns long-standing commitments, Rubio has to convince his counterparts that America will not entirely abandon its friends. — Dexter Filkins, New Yorker, 12 Jan. 2026 The paddling comes as revenge for multiple times Marty insults the businessman throughout the movie. — Tommy McArdle, PEOPLE, 26 Dec. 2025 Basil, of course, is far from perfect, a rude, neurotic, accident-prone manager who insults guests, hides his gambling winnings from his wife and organizes an elaborate impersonation of her when his surprise anniversary party backfires. — Rhett Bartlett, HollywoodReporter, 28 Oct. 2025 Attorney General Pam Bondi insults Democrats in Senate hearing. — Sudiksha Kochi, USA Today, 8 Oct. 2025 In the case of Governor Pritzker insults his body, body shamed him. — Khaleda Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for insults
  1. sarcasms
  2. offends
  3. outrages
  4. taunts
  5. indignities
  6. wounds
  7. epithets
  8. barbs
Noun
  • First seen at a night-club table of menacing lowlifes, Ida, whose mother tongue is Brooklynese, suddenly switches to a heavy British accent and dispenses a torrent of highly literary sarcasms.
    — Richard Brody, New Yorker, 4 Mar. 2026
Definition of sarcasms
Verb
  • Dae’Quan Wright and Zxavian Harris returning from NFL training camps to college offends my sensibilities.
    — Troy Renck, Denver Post, 4 Sep. 2026
  • But something about this circus just offends me on a spiritual level.
    — Amber Harding OutKick, FOXNews.com, 30 June 2026
Definition of offends
Noun
  • The liberal list of Republican offenses is long—so long, indeed, that the outrages blur.
    — Daniel Immerwahr, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Look, of the outrages, these are like the least among them, as far as being upset with the administration, with the president.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 14 June 2026
Definition of outrages
Verb
  • Continue reading … -- POLITICS 'BAD LOOK' – Newsom's attack dog taunts Buttigieg over South Carolina visit as 2028 fight heats up.
    — , FOXNews.com, 25 Aug. 2026
  • Trump routinely mocks Newsom and refers to the governor using a derogatory nickname, while Newsom taunts the president with frequent social media posts.
    — Darlene Superville, Fortune, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of taunts
Noun
  • Meanwhile, Amy’s parents, Birdie (Bailey) and Geoff (Jesson), navigate the indignities of getting older.
    — Clayton Davis, Variety, 5 Oct. 2026
  • For many of the indignities up on the screen were true to life.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of indignities
Verb
  • Penal Code 597 states that any person who who maliciously and intentionally maims, mutilates, tortures, or wounds a living animal is guilty of a crime.
    — Martha Ross, Mercury News, 5 Sep. 2026
  • The kitchen wounds him, heals him, and becomes his crucible of faith.
    — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 29 July 2026
Definition of wounds
Noun
  • The American Civil Liberties Union sued in February, alleging officers hurled racial epithets, acted violently, and largely withheld food, water, bathrooms and medical care.
    — Sarah Cutler, Idaho Statesman, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Hochman detailed a number of prosecutions, including the sentence of one man to a life sentence plus seven years with the possibility of parole for a March 23 attack, during which racial epithets were uttered.
    — City News Service, Daily News, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of epithets
Noun
  • The debate, which drew around 200 people to Grace Place in Berthoud, was largely made up of attacks — with Rutinel, a Democrat, and Evans, a Republican, trading barbs and accusations during the hourlong affair.
    — John Aguilar, Denver Post, 7 Oct. 2026
  • Her barbs are sharp enough to bring even Regina George to tears.
    — Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of barbs

Browse Nearby Words

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insults
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Cite this Entry

“Insults.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/insults. Accessed 22 Oct. 2026.

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