Oxford Dictionary English

insult

noun
noun
BrE BrE//ˈɪnsʌlt//
; NAmE NAmE//ˈɪnsʌlt//
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  • BrE BrE//ˈɪnsʌlt//
    ; NAmE NAmE//ˈɪnsʌlt//
    a remark or an action that is said or done in order to offend somebody The crowd were shouting insults at the police. insult to somebody/something His comments were seen as an insult to the president. The questions were an insult to our intelligence (= too easy). Oxford Collocations Dictionary adjectivebad, grave, great, … verb + insulthurl, shout, throw, … insult + verbfly prepositioninsult to phrasesadd insult to injury, an insult to your intelligence See full entry
    •  Word Originmid 16th cent. (as a verb in the sense ‘exult, act arrogantly’): from Latin insultare ‘jump or trample on’, from in- ‘on’ + saltare, from salire ‘to leap’. The noun (in the early 17th cent. denoting an attack) is from French insulte or ecclesiastical Latin insultus. The main current senses date from the 17th cent.Extra examples I don’t mean this as an insult, but I think the team would play better without you. I meant it as a bit of constructive advice, but he took it as a personal insult Insults were flying back and forth. It was an insult to his wife. Only 300 people came to the match and to add insult to injury, the floodlights went out during the second half. The king is unlikely to forgive the insult offered to his ambassador. The questions were a real insult to our intelligence. The two groups of fans exchanged insults. Then, to add insult to injury= to make things worse, they told me I couldn’t get on the flight. They were hurling insults at the police. To call a woman a girl is the ultimate insult. Whatever you do, don’t call a ‘railway enthusiast‘ a trainspotter—it’s the ultimate insult. one of the worst insults you can throw at somebody The crowd was shouting insults at the police.Idioms
    add insult to injury
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    to make a bad relationship with somebody worse by offending them even more
    See insult in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary
    Check pronunciation: insult
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