# offend

Pronunciation: US say "uh-FEND" /əˈfɛnd/; UK

## Verb

1. To hurt someone's feelings, displease them, make them angry, or insult them.
   - Simple: To hurt someone's feelings or make them angry.
   - _Her blunt comments offended the committee chair._
   - _Politicians often offend voters when they dodge direct questions._
2. To feel or become offended; to take insult at something said or done.
   - Simple: To feel hurt or upset by what someone says or does.
   - _She offends at the smallest hint of criticism._
   - _Thin-skinned readers offend the moment their views are challenged._
3. To annoy or cause discomfort to a person or their senses.
   - Simple: To annoy someone or make them uncomfortable.
   - _The garish wallpaper offended her sense of taste._
   - _Foul odors from the factory offend nearby residents daily._
4. To go against what a law or moral principle requires.
   - Simple: To break or go against a law or moral rule.
   - _The ruling offended long-established principles of justice._
   - _Policies that offend constitutional limits rarely survive court review._
5. To sin; to act against divine law or moral rules.
   - Simple: To sin or do something morally wrong.
   - _She believed she had offended and sought absolution._
   - _Sinners who offend repeatedly drift further from grace._
6. To physically harm or cause pain to a person or body part.
   - Simple: To physically hurt or cause pain to someone.
   - _The surgeon warned that bright sunlight would offend her eyes for a week after the operation._
   - _Stiff new boots offended his heels until blisters rose on both of them._

## Verb

7. To cause someone to stumble, or to lead them into sin or moral failure. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: To cause someone to stumble or fall into sin.

## Origin

From Middle French "offendre," from Latin "offendo" ("strike, blunder, commit an offense"), which was formed from "ob-" ("against") plus "fendo" ("strike").

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/offend (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).