Adjacent Words

Offend definitions

	Tweet

Webster's 1828 Dictionary

OFFEND', v.t. [L. offendo; of and fendo, obs. to strike, hit, meet, or thrust against. We use the simple verb in fend, to fend off, to fence.]
1. To attack; to assail. [Not used.]
2. To displease; to make angry; to affront. It expresses rather less than make angry, and without any modifying word, it is nearly synonymous with displease. We are offended by rudeness, incivility and harsh language. Children offend their parents by disobedience, and parents offend their children by unreasonable austerity or restraint.
The emperor was grievously offended with them who had kept such negligent watch.
A brother offended is harder to be won than a strong city. Proverbs 18.
3. To shock; to wound; as, to offend the conscience.
4. To pain; to annoy; to injure; as, a strong light offends weak eyes.
5. To transgress; to violate; as, to offend the laws. But we generally use the intransitive verb in this sense, with against; to offend against the law.
6. To disturb, annoy, or cause to fall or stumble.
Great peace have they that love thy law, and nothing shall offend them. Psalms 119.
7. To draw to evil, or hinder in obedience; to cause to sin or neglect duty.
If thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out - if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off. Matthew 5.
OFFEND', v.i.
1. To transgress the moral or divine law; to sin; to commit a crime.
Whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, is guilty of all. James 2.
In many things we offend all. James 3.
2. To cause dislike or anger.
I shall offend, either to detain or to give it.
But this phrase is really elliptical, some person being understood.
3. To be scandalized; to be stumbled.
If meat make my brother to offend - 1 Corinthians 8.
1. To offend against, to act injuriously or unjustly.
Nor yet against Caesar have I offended any thing at all. Acts 25.
2. To transgress; to violate; as, to offend against the laws of society, the laws of God, or the rules of civility or propriety.
We have offended against the Lord already. 2 Chronicles 28.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

v
1: cause to feel resentment or indignation; "Her tactless remark offended me" [syn: pique, offend]
2: act in disregard of laws, rules, contracts, or promises; "offend all laws of humanity"; "violate the basic laws or human civilization"; "break a law"; "break a promise" [syn: transgress, offend, infract, violate, go against, breach, break] [ant: keep, observe]
3: strike with disgust or revulsion; "The scandalous behavior of this married woman shocked her friends" [syn: shock, offend, scandalize, scandalise, appal, appall, outrage]
4: hurt the feelings of; "She hurt me when she did not include me among her guests"; "This remark really bruised my ego" [syn: hurt, wound, injure, bruise, offend, spite]

Merriam Webster's

verb Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French offendre, from Latin offendere to strike against, offend, from ob- against + -fendere to strike — more at ob-, defend Date: 14th century intransitive verb 1. a. to transgress the moral or divine law ; sin <if it be a sin to covet honor, I am the most offending soul alive — 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> transitive verb 1. a. violate, transgress b. to cause pain to ; hurt 2. obsolete to cause to sin or fall 3. to cause to feel vexation or resentment usually by violation of what is proper or fitting <was offended by their language> • offender noun Synonyms: 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>.

Oxford Reference Dictionary

v. 1 tr. cause offence to or resentment in; wound the feelings of. 2 tr. displease or anger. 3 intr. (often foll. by against) do wrong; transgress. Derivatives: offendedly adv. offender n. offending adj. Etymology: ME f. OF offendre f. L (as OFFENCE)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Offend Of*fend, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Offended; p. pr. & vb. n. Offending.] [OF. offendre, L. offendere, offensum; ob (see Ob-) + fendere (in comp.) to thrust, dash. See Defend.] 1. To strike against; to attack; to assail. [Obs.] --Sir P. Sidney. 2. To displease; to make angry; to affront. A brother offended is harder to be won than a strong city. --Prov. xviii. 19. 3. To be offensive to; to harm; to pain; to annoy; as, strong light offends the eye; to offend the conscience. 4. To transgress; to violate; to sin against. [Obs.] Marry, sir, he hath offended the law. --Shak. 5. (Script.) To oppose or obstruct in duty; to cause to stumble; to cause to sin or to fall. [Obs.] Who hath you misboden or offended. --Chaucer. If thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out . . . And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off. --Matt. v. 29, 3O. Great peace have they which love thy law, and nothing shall offend them. --Ps. cxix. 165.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(offends, offending, offended) 1. If you offend someone, you say or do something rude which upsets or embarrasses them. He apologizes for his comments and says he had no intention of offending the community... The survey found almost 90 percent of people were offended by strong swearwords... Television censors are cutting out scenes which they claim may offend. VERB: V n, V n, V • offended She is terribly offended, angered and hurt by this. ADJ: v-link ADJ 2. To offend against a law, rule, or principle means to break it. (FORMAL) This bill offends against good sense and against justice... In showing contempt for the heavyweight championship Douglas offended a stern code. VERB: V against n, V n 3. If someone offends, they commit a crime. (FORMAL) In Western countries girls are far less likely to offend than boys. VERB: no cont, V

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. v. a. 1. Affront, displease, vex, chafe, annoy, irritate, provoke, nettle, mortify, fret, gall, give offence to, make angry. 2. Shock, wound, pain, annoy, molest. II. v. n. 1. Give offence. 2. Transgress, sin, do wrong, commit offence, stumble, err, fall. 3. Take offence, be scandalized.

Moby Thesaurus

affront, aggrieve, anger, annoy, appall, blemish, blot, breach, break, call names, chagrin, commit sin, contravene, deface, disfigure, disgruntle, disgust, dishonor, disoblige, displease, distress, disturb, do amiss, do wrong, dump on, dysphemize, embarrass, err, exasperate, excite, fleer at, flout, fret, gall, gibe at, give offense, give offense to, give umbrage, grieve, gross out, horrify, humiliate, hurl a brickbat, hurt, hurt the feelings, infract, infringe, insult, irritate, jeer at, jibe at, look a fright, look a mess, look bad, look like hell, look something terrible, mar, miff, mock, nauseate, needle, nettle, offend the eye, outrage, pain, pique, provoke, put down, put off, rankle, rattle, repel, repulse, revolt, rile, ruffle, scandalize, scoff at, shock, sicken, sin, slight, snub, spoil, sting, taunt, transgress, treat with indignity, trespass, turn the stomach, uglify, upset, vex, wound