insults
insults — noun
1. a rude or hurtful word or action directed at someone, intended to make them feel
a rude or hurtful word or action directed at someone, intended to make them feel angry, embarrassed, or ashamed.
Diego stormed out of the room after his colleagues shouted insults at him during the meeting.
shout insults at someone — common verb collocation
Yelling insults at the other team may get you thrown out of the game.
The comedian's jokes were full of playful insults, but nobody was genuinely hurt by them.
The two politicians traded insults on live television instead of discussing the policy.
Ana ignored the insults from her classmates and walked away.
- compliment
an expression of praise or admiration — the positive opposite of an insult.
- praise
words that express approval or admiration.
文法句型
insult + to + person
hurl/shout insults at someone
常見錯誤
2. physical damage or harm caused to a part of the body, especially by an external
physical damage or harm caused to a part of the body, especially by an external force or substance.
Prolonged exposure to loud noise can cause an acoustic insult to the inner ear.
acoustic insult — domain-specific collocation (medical)
The surgeon explained that the thermal insult from the burn had damaged several layers of skin.
thermal insult — adjective + noun in medical context
Repeated mechanical insults to the knee joint can lead to early arthritis.
Doctors described the chemical insult to the patient's lungs as severe but not permanent.
文法句型
insult + to + body part
用法筆記
This is a technical, medical sense. It is rarely used in everyday conversation. Outside medical writing, the word 'injury' or 'damage' is preferred.
常見錯誤
insults — verb
1. to say rude or unpleasant things to someone, or to treat them in a way that show
to say rude or unpleasant things to someone, or to treat them in a way that shows you have no respect for them — for example, making fun of their appearance, calling them a bad name, or ignoring them on purpose.
Minh felt deeply insulted when his boss laughed at his idea in front of the whole team.
feel insulted — passive construction with emotional response
Jing did not mean to insult anyone, but her joke about their accent came across as cruel.
Hassan insulted his neighbour by calling him a liar, and the two have not spoken since.
The athlete insulted the referee after the match and was fined two thousand dollars.
Marcus insulted his colleague by questioning her ability in front of the client.
- offend
slightly broader; you can offend someone without meaning to, while 'insult' usually implies intent.
- affront
very formal; to insult someone openly and deliberately.
- belittle
to make someone feel unimportant or worthless; a specific type of insult.
- mock
to make fun of someone by imitating or teasing them, often cruelly.
- compliment
to say something nice about someone.
- praise
to express warm approval or admiration for someone.
文法句型
insult + person
feel insulted
insult someone by + doing something
用法筆記
Frequently used with reflexive pronouns in passive constructions: 'I felt insulted.' The verb is always transitive — you insult someone, not insult at someone.