əˈfend verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Middle English offenden, from Middle French offendre, from Latin offendere, from of- (from ob- to, toward, against) + -fendere to strike — more at ob- , defend
intransitive verb
1. obsolete : trip , stumble
2.
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 act in violation of a law, rule, or code : do wrong — used often with against
that only those … who will never again offend against the law should be paroled — Fred Finsley
3.
a. : to cause difficulty or discomfort or injury
took off his shoe and removed the offending pebble
b. : to cause dislike, anger, or vexation
take care that your dog does not … offend on the common staircase — Agnes M. Miall
a fabric of brick and asbestos that would not offend in that landscape — Bryan Morgan
transitive verb
1.
a. : violate , transgress
a contract not offending a statute … might still be in restraint of trade — C.A.Cooke
at the risk of offending the canons of reviewing — J.N.L.Baker
b. obsolete : to strike against : attack , assail
c. : to cause pain to : hurt , injure
tasteless billboards that offend the eye
the horse … develops … bony growths around the joints that have been offended — R.R.Dykstra
2. obsolete : to oppose or obstruct in duty : cause to sin
if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out — Mt 5:29 (Authorized Version)
3. : to cause to feel vexed or resentful : hurt the feelings of
some people might be offended at mentioning a novelist in church — Compton Mackenzie
friend of my youth may remember something in a different shape and be offended with my book — W.B.Yeats
Synonyms:
affront , insult , outrage : offend indicates causing vexation, resentment, or hurt feelings or occasionally violating notions of what is proper or right
begged pardon for having displeased her. In a softened tone she declared herself not at all offended — Jane Austen
hurt and offended by Ivy's rudeness — Willa Cather
an old man asks her to become his mistress: she is not much offended morally, nor is she horrified — E.K.Brown
affront indicates treating with incivility, lack of consideration, rudeness, or contempt, either with willful intent or deliberate indifference to courtesy
a vigor, resolution, and at times an arrogance, which affronted his contemporaries — New Republic
further affronted every soldier by saying that as things stood, England's only defense was the navy — Anthony West
insult indicates a deliberate, insolent, wanton causing of another's shame, hurt pride, or humiliation
he would insult them flagrantly; he would fling his hands in the air and thunder at their ignorance — Louis Auchincloss
outrage applies to flagrant, egregious offense calling forth extreme feelings
outraged at the aspersions upon the character of his old friend — S.H.Adams
deputies, outraged because they thought Mendès was appealing over their heads to the people, broke into an angry roar — Time