insulting

1 of 2

adjective

in·​sult·​ing in-ˈsəl-tiŋ How to pronounce insulting (audio)
: giving or intended to give offense : being or containing an insult (see insult entry 2 sense 1)
Without the wit, of course, such sentiments would be construed as deeply insultingThe American Scholar
… pasted insulting bumper stickers on their vehicles …James A. Michener
… considered the proposal so impracticable as to be insulting.Alice Adams
The book is "dumbed down" to an almost insulting level.Joel Bangilan
insultingly adverb
But always his triumphs are the triumphs of a highly sensitive man: a man must feel insults before he can so insultingly and splendidly avenge them. G. K. Chesterton
He is a gifted preacher, fashioning sermons that are neither inaccessibly erudite nor insultingly shallow. Kevin Sack

insulting

2 of 2

present participle of insult entry 1

Examples of insulting in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Adjective
Sean Griffin, local executive council president for the union, said the pay is insulting. Chase Jordan, Charlotte Observer, 26 Mar. 2025 To suggest civil servants don’t work hard and could do more for less is insulting to the hundreds of thousands of hard-working federal workers earning their paychecks today. Chicago Tribune, 14 Mar. 2025 The title makes this woozy mid-tempo number sound like a Black Power statement, but its lyrics also ask African Americans to stop using insulting terms for white people. Rob Tannenbaum, New York Times, 11 Feb. 2025 Formula One's governing body, the FIA, has categorized certain actions and behaviors as 'misconduct,' which include insulting or inappropriate language and gestures. Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 20 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for insulting

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

circa 1616, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of insulting was circa 1616

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Cite this Entry

“Insulting.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/insulting. Accessed 12 Apr. 2025.

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