Af*fright"ful (&?;), a. Terrifying; frightful. -- Af*fright"ful*ly, adv. [Archaic]
Bugbears or affrightful apparitions.
Cudworth.
Af*fright"ment (&?;), n. Affright; the state of being frightened; sudden fear or alarm. [Archaic]
Passionate words or blows . . . fill the child's mind with terror and affrightment.
Locke.
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.