1
as in to trespass
to commit an offense
since this is the first time you've offended, we'll let you off lightly
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to insult
to cause hurt feelings or deep resentment in
the visitor unintentionally offended his hosts terribly by failing to compliment them on the elaborately prepared meal
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to violate
to fail to keep
offended conventional standards of uniformity by not adhering to the company dress code
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of offend
Which would be the result soon enough if the paper treated the Letters column as some kind of exercise in PR, and excluded all opinions likely to offend somebody somewhere.
—
arkansasonline.com, 1 Mar. 2025
Ray was offended and humiliated, according to the filing.
—Sara Schilling, Sacramento Bee, 28 Feb. 2025
If, like me, you’re not offended by raisins in your carrot cake, Costco’s carrot bar cake is available now in the bakery’s refrigerator section.
—Meghan Overdeep, Southern Living, 28 Mar. 2025
That was a diplomatic answer perhaps designed to avoid offending Trump.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 27 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for offend
arkansasonline.com, 1 Mar. 2025
Ray was offended and humiliated, according to the filing.
—Sara Schilling, Sacramento Bee, 28 Feb. 2025
If, like me, you’re not offended by raisins in your carrot cake, Costco’s carrot bar cake is available now in the bakery’s refrigerator section.
—Meghan Overdeep, Southern Living, 28 Mar. 2025
That was a diplomatic answer perhaps designed to avoid offending Trump.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 27 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for offend
Recent Examples of Synonyms for offend
Verb
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Why else would a man who just trespassed, exposed himself on national television (and apparently damaged an expensive stage curtain) simply be allowed to dress and address the press?—
Jordan Runtagh,
People.com,
2 Mar. 2025
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Last year, Wheeler served two days in Vernon County jail on six trespassing convictions from 2020, 2022 and 2023.—
Robert A. Cronkleton,
Kansas City Star,
31 Mar. 2025
Verb
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As the report highlighted, culture wars are about both sides attempting to impose their will by personally insulting others who hold opposing viewpoints, seeking ways to cancel the social and professional lifestyles of others, and preventing others from participating in public debates.—
Eric Wood,
Forbes.com,
14 Apr. 2025
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The idea of an entertainer with no political experience who could win people over by insulting opponents and misbehaving hit just too close to home.—
Steve Greene,
IndieWire,
12 Apr. 2025
Verb
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In a series of lawsuits following the order, plaintiffs, including 22 Democratic state attorneys general and immigrant rights advocates, argued that Trump's order violates a right protected by the U.S. Constitution's 14th Amendment: anyone born in the United States is a citizen.—
Terry Moseley,
USA Today,
18 Apr. 2025
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In legal terms, the lawsuits are saying oil and gas companies violated consumer-protection laws and committed common-law civil violations such as negligence.—
Hannah Wiseman,
The Conversation,
18 Apr. 2025
Verb
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And bond market yields fall by about 150 basis points (1.5 percentage points).11 The Fed Fed Chair Powell says the Fed is waiting for the softening survey data to translate into hard data before moving toward lower interest rates.—
Robert Barone,
Forbes.com,
15 Apr. 2025
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Mary had brought her mother, who had suffered multiple mental-health crises, to live with the family; Phyllis then fell ill with metastatic lung cancer, and Mary served as her caretaker.—
Sarah Stillman,
New Yorker,
14 Apr. 2025
Verb
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The shooting Saturday in Pocatello outraged the boy's family and neighbors as well as viewers online who questioned why the officers opened fire within about 12 seconds of exiting their patrol cars while making no apparent effort to de-escalate the situation or use less lethal weapons.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
9 Apr. 2025
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On Saturday, tens of thousands of protesters outraged by Trump's leadership since his return to office for a second term on January 20 took to the streets in all 50 states.—
John W. Dean,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 Apr. 2025
Verb
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On Monday night, a glittering crowd stepped out to celebrate the store’s opening, before heading over to Palazzo Serbelloni to wander through its halls and take in the homewares collection.—
Liam Hess,
Vogue,
10 Apr. 2025
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That means that future missions to Titan will have a rough time tracking down any solitary microbes that might be wandering about.—
David Szondy,
New Atlas,
8 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Offend.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/offend. Accessed 24 Apr. 2025.
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