offended
Americanadjective
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feeling or expressing hurt, indignation, or irritation because of a perceived wrong or insult.
The man replied in an offended voice, "My niece would never do anything like that!"
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being the recipient or victim of criminal or morally repugnant behavior.
After the referral agent and the offender speak, the offended individual is invited to speak about how the assault affected them.
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(of a sense, taste, etc.) affected disagreeably.
With the bright neon blue and red, the dress looked like clown garb, so my offended aesthetic sense told me to take it off.
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of offended
Explanation
Someone who's offended is annoyed, hurt, or disgusted. If one presidential candidate comments snidely on the hairstyle of another, the offended candidate may retaliate. If your feelings are hurt by your brother's comment that he "could take or leave" the chocolate chip cookies you baked for him, you're offended. And your grandmother's offended expression may be the result of the dreadful movie you're watching. Offended comes from the verb offend, specifically its secondary meaning "to wound the feelings." The Latin root is offendere, "to hit, stumble, provoke, or displease."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"My mother was not offended at all," daughter India wrote on Instagram.
From BBC • Jun. 5, 2026
Turkey on Tuesday expressed alarm over a weekend gig by Kanye West in Istanbul attended by nearly 120,000 fans, saying it included elements that offended its spiritual sensitivities.
From Barron's • Jun. 2, 2026
“There’s always going to be people offended by something we do, and we really don’t care,” Mike said.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 15, 2026
Mr. Stuttard, an accomplished theater director, departs from this scholarship by staging these events as a Greek tragedy, where the hero—in this case, Pericles’ Athens itself—is brought low by divine forces offended by impiety.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 10, 2026
“They’re practically the same names,” Vivian said, her tone offended as if it had been a trick question.
From "Not Nothing" by Gayle Forman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
