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Discredit vs Insult - What's the difference?

discredit | insult | Related terms |

Discredit is a related term of insult.


As nouns the difference between discredit and insult

is that discredit is disrepute while insult is an action or form of speech deliberately intended to be rude.

As a verb insult is

(obsolete|intransitive) to behave in an obnoxious and superior manner (over, against).

discredit

English

Verb

(en verb)
  • To harm the good reputation of a person; to cause an idea or piece of evidence to seem false or unreliable.
  • The candidate tried to discredit his opponent.
    The evidence would tend to discredit such a theory.

    Synonyms

    * demean, disgrace, dishonour, disprove, invalidate, tell against

    Derived terms

    * discreditor

    Noun

    (-)
  • The act of discrediting or disbelieving, or the state of being discredited or disbelieved.
  • Later accounts have brought the story into discredit .
  • A degree of dishonour or disesteem; ill repute; reproach.
  • * Rogers
  • It is the duty of every Christian to be concerned for the reputation or discredit his life may bring on his profession.

    Synonyms

    * (degree of dishonour) demerit

    insult

    English

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • (obsolete) To behave in an obnoxious and superior manner (over, against).
  • *, II.3.3:
  • thou hast lost all, poor thou art, dejected, in pain of body, grief of mind, thine enemies insult over thee, thou art as bad as Job […].
  • To offend (someone) by being rude, insensitive or insolent; to demean or affront (someone).
  • (obsolete) To leap or trample upon; to make a sudden onset upon.
  • (Shakespeare)

    Synonyms

    * (to offend) abuse, affront, offend, slight * See also

    Antonyms

    *compliment

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • An action or form of speech deliberately intended to be rude.
  • * Savage
  • the ruthless sneer that insult adds to grief
  • * 1987 , Jamie Lee Curtis, A Fish Called Wanda :
  • To call you stupid would be an insult to stupid people!
  • Anything that causes offence/offense, e.g. by being of an unacceptable quality.
  • The way the orchestra performed tonight was an insult to my ears.
  • (medicine) Something causing disease or injury to the body or bodily processes.
  • * 2006 , Stephen G. Lomber, Jos J. Eggermont, Reprogramming the Cerebral Cortex (page 415)
  • * 2011 , Terence Allen and Graham Cowling, The Cell: A Very Short Introduction , Oxford 2011, p. 96:
  • Within the complex genome of most organisms there are alternative multiple pathways of proteins which can help the individual cell survive a variety of insults , for example radiation, toxic chemicals, heat, excessive or reduced oxygen.
  • (obsolete) The act of leaping on; onset; attack.
  • (Dryden)

    Synonyms

    * (deliberatedly intended to be rude) abuse (uncountable), affront, offence (UK)/offense (US), pejorative, slam, slight, slur * (thing causing offence by being of unacceptable quality) disgrace, outrage * See also

    Antonyms

    *compliment

    Anagrams

    * * English heteronyms