insult
gb/ˈɪnsʌlt/ us/ˈɪnsʌlt/
B1
English
~ 1900
sértés, megsért, sérteget, károsodás, sérülés
NOUN
B1
1
sértés
B1
Usage pattern:
an insult to [someone/something]
Her comment about his work was a clear insult.
A nő megjegyzése a férfi munkájáról egyértelmű sértés volt.
He took the joke as an insult and left the room.
Sértésnek vette a viccet, és kiment a szobából.
They shouted insults at each other during the argument.
The decision was seen as an insult to the whole community.
Learner examples
That word is an insult.
Ez a szó sértésnek számít.
He made an insult about my hair.
Sértő megjegyzést tett a hajamra.
I do not like insults.
She gave me an insult in front of my friends.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'insult' (noun) with 'assault', which refers to physical attack rather than verbal offense.
Meaning
offensive remark or action
Collocations
personal insult
|direct insult
|serious insult
|take as an insult
|hurl insults
Synonyms
offense (A broader term that can refer to any cause of hurt feelings, not just verbal or physical disrespect.)
|
slight (A more subtle or indirect form of insult, often unintentional.)
Antonyms
compliment (A positive remark that shows approval or admiration, opposite of an insult.)
Themes
emotions
|communication
|conflict
|relationships
|core_vocabulary
Definition
Something you say or do that hurts someone’s feelings or shows you do not respect them.
A remark or action that is intended to offend, disrespect, or hurt someone's feelings.
VERB
B1
2
Usage pattern:
to insult [someone]
I didn’t mean to insult you with my comment.
Nem akartalak megsérteni a megjegyzésemmel.
She felt he was insulting her by ignoring her ideas.
Úgy érezte, a férfi azzal sérti meg, hogy figyelmen kívül hagyja az ötleteit.
They insulted the referee after the match.
He insulted me in front of my friends.
Learner examples
Do not insult me.
Ne sértegess!
He insulted his friend.
Megsértette a barátját.
She insulted her teacher.
I think you insulted him by mistake.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'insult' (verb) with 'insulting' as an adjective, leading to incorrect sentence structures like 'He is insult me'.
Meaning
to offend or disrespect someone
Collocations
insult someone’s intelligence
|insult a person
|insult openly
|feel insulted
Synonyms
offend (Can be broader and include causing emotional hurt without intent.)
|
disrespect (Focuses more on showing lack of respect rather than causing hurt feelings.)
Antonyms
praise (To express approval or admiration for someone, opposite of insulting them.)
Themes
emotions
|communication
|conflict
|relationships
|core_vocabulary
Definition
To say or do something that makes someone feel bad or not respected.
To say or do something with the intention of offending, disrespecting, or hurting someone.
NOUN
C1
TECHNICAL
3
The patient suffered a neurological insult during surgery.
A beteg a műtét során neurológiai károsodást szenvedett.
Repeated head insults can lead to long-term damage.
Az ismételt fejsérülések hosszú távú károsodáshoz vezethetnek.
The brain insult was caused by lack of oxygen.
Learner examples
The doctor said there was a brain insult.
Az orvos azt mondta, hogy agyi károsodás történt.
An insult to the heart can be serious.
A szívet ért károsodás súlyos lehet.
He had a spinal cord insult.
Common mistake:
Learners may think this meaning is related to verbal offense; in medical contexts it refers to physical harm.
Meaning
physical injury to body tissue
Collocations
brain insult
|spinal cord insult
|neurological insult
Synonyms
injury (General term for physical harm; 'insult' is used more in medical contexts for tissue damage.)
Antonyms
healing (The process of becoming healthy again, opposite of sustaining an injury.)
Themes
medicine
|health
|body
|science
Definition
In medicine, harm to the body from injury, sickness, or dangerous substances.
In medical contexts, damage to body tissue caused by trauma, infection, toxins, or other harmful agents.
Grammar
Dictionary form
insult
IPA
GB/ˈɪnsʌlt/
US/ˈɪnsʌlt/
Syllables & stress
in - sult (2 syllables)
Stress on 1st syllable (in)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: insult
- Plural: insult, insults
Verb
- Base: insult
- 3rd Person Singular: insults
- Present Participle: insulting
- Past: insulted
Word family
Forms
insults
noun
insulting
verb
insulted
verb
Negative and opposite forms
compliment
noun B1
Advanced or less common
insultingly
adverb
Expressions
hurl insults
1/hˈɚl ɪnsˈʌlts/
fixed phrase
shout offensive remarks at someone
To shout mean or rude words at someone.
Examples
- The fans began to hurl insults at the opposing team.
- They stood across the street hurling insults at each other.
trade insults
1/tɹˈeɪd ɪnsˈʌlts/
fixed phrase
exchange offensive remarks in argument
To say rude things to each other during an argument.
Examples
- The politicians traded insults during the debate.
- They sat at the bar trading insults all night.
add insult to injury
1/ˈæd ˈɪnsʌlt tə ˈɪnd͡ʒɚi/
idiom
Make someone feel worse after harm
To make a bad experience even worse for someone by saying or doing something unkind after it happened.
Examples
- Losing was bad enough, but being laughed at added insult to injury.
- Losing the game was bad enough, but being mocked afterwards added insult to injury.
- She was late and, to add insult to injury, forgot my birthday.
- She was late for the meeting and, to add insult to injury, forgot her notes.