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Affront vs Effrontery - What's the difference?

affront | effrontery |

As nouns the difference between affront and effrontery

is that affront is an open or intentional offense, slight, or insult while effrontery is insolent and shameless audacity.

As a verb affront

is to insult intentionally, especially openly.

affront

Verb

(en verb)
  • To insult intentionally, especially openly.
  • * Addison
  • How can anyone imagine that the fathers would have dared to affront the wife of Aurelius?
  • To meet defiantly; to confront.
  • to affront death
  • * 1978 , (Lawrence Durrell), Livia'', Faber & Faber 1992 (''Avignon Quintet ), p. 436:
  • Avignon was beginning to settle down for the night – that long painful stretch of time which must somehow be affronted .
  • (obsolete) To meet or encounter face to face.
  • * Holland
  • All the sea-coasts do affront the Levant.
  • * Shakespeare
  • That he, as 'twere by accident, may here / Affront Ophelia.

    Synonyms

    * See also

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • An open or intentional offense, slight, or insult.
  • Such behavior is an affront to society.
  • (obsolete) A hostile encounter or meeting.
  • Synonyms

    * See also

    effrontery

    English

    Noun

  • (uncountable) Insolent and shameless audacity.
  • We even had the effrontery to suggest that he should leave the country.
  • (countable) An act of insolent and shameless audacity.
  • Any refusal to salute the president shall be counted as an effrontery .

    References

    * 2005, Ed. Catherine Soanes and Angus Stevenson, The Oxford Dictionary of English (2nd edition revised) , Oxford University Press, ISBN 0198610572 * 1996, T.F. Hoad, The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Etymology , Oxford University Press, ISBN 0192830988 *