AFFRONT

Pronunciation (US):

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IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does affront mean? 

• AFFRONT (noun)
  The noun AFFRONT has 1 sense:

1. a deliberately offensive act or something producing the effect of deliberate disrespect

  Familiarity information: AFFRONT used as a noun is very rare.

• AFFRONT (verb)
  The verb AFFRONT has 1 sense:

1. treat, mention, or speak to rudely

  Familiarity information: AFFRONT used as a verb is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• AFFRONT (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A deliberately offensive act or something producing the effect of deliberate disrespect

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

affront; insult

Context example:

turning his back on me was a deliberate insult

Hypernyms ("affront" is a kind of...):

discourtesy; offence; offense; offensive activity (a lack of politeness; a failure to show regard for others; wounding the feelings or others)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "affront"):

indignity (an affront to one's dignity or self-esteem)

outrage; scandalisation; scandalization (the act of scandalizing)

Derivation:

affront (treat, mention, or speak to rudely)

• AFFRONT (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they affront    ... he / she / it affronts   
Past simple: affronted   
Past participle: affronted   
-ing form: affronting   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Treat, mention, or speak to rudely

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Synonyms:

affront; diss; insult

Context example:

the student who had betrayed his classmate was dissed by everyone

Hypernyms (to "affront" is one way to...):

bruise; hurt; injure; offend; spite; wound (hurt the feelings of)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s somebody

Sentence example:

The performance is likely to affront Sue

Derivation:

affront (a deliberately offensive act or something producing the effect of deliberate disrespect)

 Context examples 

What could all this mean but an intentional affront?

(Northanger Abbey, by Jane Austen)

It will not do, whispered Frank to Emma; they are most of them affronted.

(Emma, by Jane Austen)

Anne herself was become hardened to such affronts; but she felt the imprudence of the arrangement quite as keenly as Lady Russell.

(Persuasion, by Jane Austen)

My father had once been a favourite of hers, I believe; but she was mortally affronted by his marriage, on the ground that my mother was “a wax doll”.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

That his wife should do no more housework was an affront to his thrifty soul.

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)

Julia wavered; but was he only trying to soothe and pacify her, and make her overlook the previous affront?

(Mansfield Park, by Jane Austen)

You are not going to be missish, I hope, and pretend to be affronted at an idle report.

(Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen)

I do not see how it can be done, said she, without affronting Lady Middleton, for they spend every day with her; otherwise I should be exceedingly glad to do it.

(Sense and Sensibility, by Jane Austen)

It seemed to be as much an affront to the dead as it would have been to have stripped off her clothing in her sleep whilst living; I actually took hold of his hand to stop him.

(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)

But I felt it quite an affront to be supposed proud, and said I only wanted to be asked.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)