offender

UK:*UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/əˈfɛndər/


WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025
of•fend /əˈfɛnd/USA pronunciation   v. 
  1. to irritate, annoy, or anger;
    cause resentful displeasure in;
    insult:[+ object]His impolite remarks offended the audience.
  2. to affect (the sense, taste, etc.) in an unpleasant or disagreeable way:[+ object]That odor offends my nose.
  3. to violate (a criminal, religious, or moral law): [+ object]The movie offends the morals of the community.[+ against + object]The movie offends against our principles.
  4. to cause displeasure or resentment:[no object]words that offend.
of•fend•er, n. [countable]See -fend-.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025
of•fend  (ə fend),USA pronunciation v.t. 
  1. to irritate, annoy, or anger;
    cause resentful displeasure in:Even the hint of prejudice offends me.
  2. to affect (the sense, taste, etc.) disagreeably.
  3. to violate or transgress (a criminal, religious, or moral law).
  4. to hurt or cause pain to.
  5. Bible(in Biblical use) to cause to fall into sinful ways.

v.i. 
  1. to cause resentful displeasure;
    irritate, annoy, or anger:a remark so thoughtless it can only offend.
  2. to err in conduct;
    commit a sin, crime, or fault.
  • Latin offendere to strike against, displease, equivalent. to of- of- + -fendere to strike
  • Middle French offendre
  • Middle English offenden 1275–1325
of•fenda•ble, adj. 
of•fended•ly, adv. 
of•fended•ness, n. 
of•fender, n. 
    • 1.See corresponding entry in Unabridged provoke, chafe, nettle, affront, insult.
    • 7.See corresponding entry in Unabridged transgress.
    • 1.See corresponding entry in Unabridged please.

'offender' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):

Forum discussions with the word(s) "offender" in the title:


Look up "offender" at Merriam-Webster
Look up "offender" at dictionary.com
  • Go to Preferences page and choose from different actions for taps or mouse clicks.

In other languages: Spanish | French | Italian | Portuguese | Romanian | German | Dutch | Swedish | Russian | Polish | Czech | Greek | Turkish | Chinese | Japanese | Korean | Arabic

Advertisements
Advertisements
Report an inappropriate ad.
WordReference.com
WORD OF THE DAY
GET THE DAILY EMAIL!