Make Your Point > Archived Issues > AFFRONT

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pronounce AFFRONT: Say it "uh FRONT." To hear it, click here. connect this word to others: An affront is an insult: the kind that seems to slap you in the face. I find it interesting that the word insult literally translates to "a leaping at," meaning it's related to words like assail, salmon, and salient. And the word affront literally translates to "(something done) to the face," so it's related to words like front, frontier, confront, and _front__y. Can you recall that last one? It means "someone's bold rudeness that doesn't even embarrass them, displayed right in front of other people."  (To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.) definition: You can trace "affront" back to a Latin phrase meaning "to the face." That phrase entered French and grew to mean both "to slap in the face" and "to offend someone with bold disrespect." In English, an affront is a bold, disrespectful action or insult, the kind that seems so open and straightforward that it's like a slap in the face--at least, it seems that way to the person receiving it. The person committing it might not see it that way at all. grammatical bits: Part of speech: Noun, the countable kind: "It was an affront;" "He took it as an affront;" "She considered it an affront to her honor;" "I will never sink so low as to return their affronts." Other forms:  The plural is "affronts," but we hardly ever use it. "Affront" is also a verb: if you affront someone, you insult them openly, or at least, that's what they think you're doing. We talk about people being "affronted," meaning "acting as though they've been boldly insulted," as in "She looked affronted and huffed away" and "He stormed off, affronted by the suggestion." If you're doing the affronting, you're the affronter. And if you're on the receiving end, you're the affrontee. The adverb is "affrontedly:" "They scoffed affrontedly." And the noun for the quality of being affronted is "affrontedness:" "Let's not waste time on affrontedness." how to use it: Pick the common, formal, serious word "affront" to label some person's choice, action, or comment when the person it affects takes it as very rude and very personal--even if that's not how it was intended. So, we talk about people seeing something as an affront, taking something as an affront, feeling something as an affront, etc. "When her grown son was on vacation and she keyed into his house to clean it for him, he took it as an affront." We might call something an affront to someone, or to someone's skills, taste, status, honor, dignity, values, standards, reputation, etc. "He took the housecleaning as an affront to his independence as an adult." Although this word is usually quite serious ("Murder is an affront to God"), it can also be funny ("High heels are an affront to the human body"). And although an affront is usually some person's statement or decision, it could also be some fact, creation, quality, condition, or situation: "This song isn't just bad. It's an affront to the ears." "The jumbled chaos in this pantry is an affront to my love of order." examples: "Explicit race discrimination is an affront to American values."    — Michelle Alexander, The New Jim Crow, 2010 "Calling the conduct an affront to common decency, local Walgreens customer David Nivola confirmed that his receipt had been brazenly placed in his bag without his permission Wednesday."     — The Onion, 28 January 2015 has this page helped you understand "affront"? Awesome, I'm glad it helped! Thanks for letting me know! If you have any questions about this word, please message me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. study it: Explain the meaning of "affront" without saying "an offense" or "a slap in the face." try it out: Let's say you're hosting a good friend's wedding in your backyard. When your friend mails out the wedding invitations, she excludes you. You receive no invitation. Are you affronted? Why or why not? Could you think of another situation in which some people would be deeply affronted, but others wouldn't be affronted at all? If you like, use this space to write. (To save your work, copy and paste it into an email or a document.) before you review, play: Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out. Country Song, or Springer Episode? Be warned: this month's game is in poor taste. I had so much fun creating it, so what does that say about me? And if you're good at it, what does that say about you? Oh, snap.  Country songs and Jerry Springer episodes have something in common: their self-aware, over-the-top titles. It's clear that the creators of both enjoyed poking fun at their genre. In each round of the game this month, check out a handful of titles, and see if you can decide whether each belongs to a country song or a Jerry Springer episode. For the answers, scroll all the way down. Try these today: 1. Twins At War 2. Your Secret Slipped Out 3. You Can't Have Your Kate And Edith, Too review this word: 1. The opposite of an AFFRONT could be A. a CONFLICT. B. a COURTESY. C. an APPROVAL. 2. The Daily Beast wrote, "[Winston Churchill] was a stalwart drinker and supporter of drinking and the drinks industry, believing Prohibition an affront _____." A. of the law B. to mankind C. for alcohol Answers to review questions: 1. B 2. B Answer to the game questions:  1. Twins At War → Springer 2. Your Secret Slipped Out  → Springer 3. You Can't Have Your Kate And Edith, Too → Song a final word: I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love. I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words. From my blog:    36 ways to study words.    Why we forget words, & how to remember them.    How to use sophisticated words without being awkward. To be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. Disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.