Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

offend

/əˈfɛnd/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.57 in modern English

Syllables
of-fend
IPA
/əˈfɛnd/
13
Scrabble Score
6
Letters
2
Syllables
5
Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To hurt the feelings of; to displease; to make angry; to insult.

Transitive verb

verb

To feel or become offended; to take insult.

Intransitive verb

verb

To physically harm, pain.

Transitive verb

verb

To annoy, cause discomfort or resent.

Transitive verb

verb

To sin, transgress divine law or moral rules.

Intransitive verb

verb

To transgress or violate a law or moral requirement.

Transitive verb

verb

To cause to stumble; to cause to sin or to fall.

Archaic; Obsolete; Transitive verb

Example Sentences

Etymology

From Middle French offendre, from Latin offendō (“strike, blunder, commit an offense”), from ob- (“against”) + *fendō (“strike”).

Word Breakdown

Usage

Inflected Forms

offends (present, singular) offending (participle, present) offended (participle, past) offended (past)

Derived Forms

offendable offendedly offendedness offendee offender offendor offendotron reoffend

Phrases

repeat offend

Frequently Paired Words

defend fend offense offensive defame enrage despise

Synonyms

abuse affront burn carry cut down disrespect dis diss give stick heckle hurt someone's feelings insult

Antonyms

commend compliment flatter laud praise revere talk up

Rhymes With

end high-end friend send dead-end spend recommend tend attend trend defend extend

Questions

How do you pronounce offend?
The recorded pronunciation is /əˈfɛnd/.
What does offend mean?
To hurt the feelings of; to displease; to make angry; to insult.
Where does offend come from?
From Middle French offendre, from Latin offendō (“strike, blunder, commit an offense”), from ob- (“against”) + *fendō (“strike”).

How to pronounce offend

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “offend”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/əˈfɛnd/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “offend”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “offend” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.