Affronting

1 definition found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Affront \Af*front"\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Affronted}; p. pr. &
     vb. n. {Affronting}.] [OF. afronter, F. affronter, to
     confront, LL. affrontare to strike against, fr. L. ad + frons
     forehead, front. See {Front}.]
     1. To front; to face in position; to meet or encounter face
        to face. [Obs.]


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              All the sea-coasts do affront the Levant. --Holland.
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              That he, as 't were by accident, may here
              Affront Ophelia.                      --Shak.
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     2. To face in defiance; to confront; as, to affront death;
        hence, to meet in hostile encounter. [Archaic]
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     3. To offend by some manifestation of disrespect; to insult
        to the face by demeanor or language; to treat with marked
        incivility.
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              How can any one imagine that the fathers would have
              dared to affront the wife of Aurelius? --Addison.
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     Syn: To insult; abuse; outrage; wound; illtreat; slight;
          defy; offend; provoke; pique; nettle.
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