offesa

offence

noun of-FEH-zah Rare

Also means

insult

Usage Note

Offesa is both the abstract act of offending and a concrete insult or slight. In legal Italian it appears in offesa alla persona (offence against the person). The verb is offendere (irregular past participle: offeso), and offesa is literally its feminine past participle used as a noun. Do not confuse with reato (criminal offence) which is the broader legal term.

Examples

"Le sue parole erano una grave offesa."

Natural Translation

His words were a serious offence.

Related Words

Explore Italian by topic

ItalianNow

Italian Articles: Il, Lo, La, I, Gli, Le Explained

Italian has seven words for 'the' — il, lo, la, i, gli, le — but it's two questions, not seven cases. Master gender, sound, and the lo/gli rule fast.

June 5, 2026 7 min read

ItalianNow

Italian False Friends: 20 Words That Trick You

Italian false friends like preservativo, parenti, and caldo mean the opposite of what English speakers expect. Here are 20 ranked by how badly they bite.

June 5, 2026 6 min read

ItalianNow

Italian Dialects vs Standard Italian: A Guide

Standard Italian works everywhere, so relax: this three-layer guide to Italian dialects vs standard Italian shows what to ignore and what to notice.

June 9, 2026 6 min read

ItalianNow

Italian Noun Gender: Rules, Endings & Exceptions

Italian noun gender decoded: -o is usually masculine, -a feminine, but -zione and -tà are feminine, -ore and -ma masculine. Plus the trap words to memorize.

June 5, 2026 5 min read