beleidigen
to insult
To deliberately hurt someone or offend their honor through derogatory words or disrespectful behavior.
EXAMPLE
Er hat sie mit seinen unüberlegten Worten tief beleidigt.
He deeply insulted her with his thoughtless words.
beleidigen
to insult
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Meanings
beleidigen
to insult
Figurative: when something is of such poor quality that it is felt to be an imposition or an offense to the mind, taste, or intelligence.
EXAMPLE
Dieser Film ist so schlecht, er beleidigt die Intelligenz des Zuschauers.
This film is so bad, it insults the viewer's intelligence.
Usage tips
Word structure
The verb 'beleidigen' (to insult) contains the word 'Leid' (suffering). It literally means to cause someone suffering by hurting their feelings or their honor.
EXAMPLE
Seine Worte haben ihr großes Leid zugefügt.
His words caused her great suffering.
Accusative object
'Beleidigen' (to insult) is a transitive verb that always requires an accusative object. The person who is being insulted is therefore always in the accusative.
EXAMPLE
Warum hast du ihn beleidigt?
Why did you insult him?
Expressing a state
To express the state of being insulted or offended, you often use the adjective form 'beleidigt sein' (to be offended) or the reflexive expression 'sich beleidigt fühlen' (to feel insulted/offended).
EXAMPLE
Nach dem Streit war sie tagelang beleidigt.
After the argument, she was offended for days.
Figurative use
In the figurative meaning, the verb is often combined with abstract nouns such as 'Intelligenz' (intelligence), 'Geschmack' (taste), or 'Auge' (eye).
EXAMPLE
Die schlechte Bildqualität beleidigt das Auge.
The poor image quality insults the eye.
Compare with
beleidigen vs verletzen
to injure / hurt / violate
Verletzen and beleidigen can both express causing offense through words or behavior. Beleidigen emphasizes an intentional, disrespectful attack on a person's honor. Verletzen focuses more on the emotional effect, which can arise even without clear intent.
beleidigen
Mit seiner absichtlich respektlosen Bemerkung beleidigte Paul seine Kollegin.
Paul insulted his colleague with his deliberately disrespectful remark.
verletzen
Mit seiner unbedachten Bemerkung verletzte Paul seine Kollegin.
Paul hurt his colleague with his thoughtless remark.
In real life
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