offend
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: ipa: /əˈfɛnd/
rhymes: -ɛnd
Forms: form: offends
form: offending
form: offended
form: offended
Etymology: From Middle French offendre, from Latin offendō (“strike, blunder, commit an offense”), from ob- (“against”) + *fendō (“strike”).
Senses: examples: text: Your accusations offend me deeply.
text: ‘ […] I remember a lady coming to inspect St. Mary's Home where I was brought up and seeing us all in our lovely Elizabethan uniforms we were so proud of, and bursting into tears all over us because “it was wicked to dress us like charity children”. We nearly crowned her we were so offended. She saw us but she didn't know us, did she?’.
ref: 1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 6, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC:
text: One day my girlfriend, her boyfriend and I were sunbathing topless because that's Barbados - you can wear nothing if you want. And the Pepsi guy walks up and with my agent to meet us for lunch. I wondered if I should put on my top because I have a business relationship with him. I didn't want him to get offended because the rest of the beach had seen me with my top off.
ref: 1995 September, “The Playboy Interview: Cindy Crawford”, in Playboy:
glosses: To hurt the feelings of; to displease; to make angry; to insult.
examples: text: Don't worry. I don't offend easily.
glosses: To feel or become offended; to take insult.
examples: text: Strong light offends the eye.
text: Som fowles there be that have so perfaict ſight
Agayn the Sonne their Iyes for to defend
And ſom bicauſe the light doeth theim offend
Do never pere but in the darke or nyght
ref: c. 1527–1542, Thomas Wyatt, “Som fowles there be that have so perfaict ſight”, in Egerton MS 2711, page 19v:
glosses: To physically harm, pain.
examples: text: Physically enjoyable frivolity can still offend the conscience
glosses: To annoy, cause discomfort or resent.
examples: text: I dailie and hourelie offend in thought, word, and deed, in a relapſe by mine owne weakneſſe and wilfulneſſe, my bonus Genius, my good protecting angel is gone, I am falne from that I was, or would bee, worſe and worſe, […]
ref: 1638, Democritus Junior [pseudonym; Robert Burton], “Cure of Deſpaire by Phyſick, good counſell, comforts, &c.”, in The Anatomy of Melancholy. […], 5th edition, Oxford, Oxfordshire: […] [Robert Young, Miles Flesher, and Leonard Lichfield and William Turner] for Henry Cripps, →OCLC, partition 3, section 4, member 3, subsection 6, page 707:
glosses: To sin, transgress divine law or moral rules.
examples: text: Wearing faded baggy offends against the club's rules of proper dress.
glosses: To transgress or violate a law or moral requirement.
examples: text: "If any man offend not (stumbles not, is not tripped up) in word, the same is a perfect man."
ref: 1896, Adolphus Frederick Schauffler, Select Notes on the International Sunday School Lessons, W. A. Wilde company, page 161:
text: "If thine eye offend thee, pluck it out."
ref: 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Matthew 5:29:
topics: biblical
lifestyle
religion
glosses: To cause to stumble; to cause to sin or to fall.
Synonyms: word: abuse
word: affront
word: burn
word: carry
word: cut down
word: disrespect
word: dis
word: diss
word: give stick
word: heckle
word: hurt someone's feelings
word: insult
word: lapidate
word: qualifier
word: misbid
word: misrespect
word: misuse
word: offend
word: sledge
word: slight
word: sneap
word: wound
Hypernyms: word: discompose
word: provoke
word: ruffle
word: stir up
Hyponyms: word: miff
word: denigrate
word: deride
word: moon
word: whoop
word: flick off
word: flip off
word: flip the bird
word: give the finger
Derived terms: offendable
offendedly
offendedness
offendee
offender
offendor
offendotron
reoffend
repeat offend
Related terms: word: defend
word: fend
word: offense
word: offensive
word: defame
word: enrage
word: despise