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.]
All the sea-coasts do affront the Levant.
Holland.
That he, as 't were by accident, may here
Affront Ophelia.
Shak.
2. To face in defiance; to confront; as, to
affront death; hence, to meet in hostile encounter.
[Archaic]
3. To offend by some manifestation of disrespect;
to insult to the face by demeanor or language; to treat with marked
incivility.
How can any one imagine that the fathers would have dared to
affront the wife of Aurelius?
Addison.
Syn. -- To insult; abuse; outrage; wound; illtreat; slight; defy;
offend; provoke; pique; nettle.
Af*front", n. [Cf. F. affront, fr.
affronter.] 1. An encounter either friendly or
hostile. [Obs.]
I walked about, admired of all, and dreaded
On hostile ground, none daring my affront.
Milton.
2. Contemptuous or rude treatment which excites or
justifies resentment; marked disrespect; a purposed indignity;
insult.
Offering an affront to our understanding.
Addison.
3. An offense to one's self-respect; shame.
Arbuthnot.
Syn. -- Affront, Insult, Outrage. An
affront is a designed mark of disrespect, usually in the presence of
others. An insult is a personal attack either by words or actions,
designed to humiliate or degrade. An outrage is an act of extreme
and violent insult or abuse. An affront piques and mortifies; an
insult irritates and provokes; an outrage wounds and
injures.
Captious persons construe every innocent freedom into an
affront. When people are in a state of animosity, they seek
opportunities of offering each other insults. Intoxication or
violent passion impels men to the commission of outrages.
Crabb.
