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“Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me” is one of those lies some folks like to repeat, despite the fact that words can and will do a lot of damage. Experience shows that some folks are particularly adept when it comes to creating biting insults that might mortify the target, but make everyone else chuckle.

Someone asked “What is the most brutal insult you’ve ever heard in your life?” and people shared their best examples. So get comfortable as you scroll through, upvote your favorites and be sure to comment your own examples and experiences below.

#1

A historical figure in a fur coat, possibly known for delivering a savage insult, poses pensively with a walking stick. Good old Oscar Wilde provided many harsh, yet eloquent ways of being rude.

"Some people bring joy wherever they go. Some whenever they go.".

Validarian , Adam Cuerden Report

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    #2

    Man with a beard and cap standing in front of blinds, illustrating a moment of contemplation related to savage insults. Probably not the most brutal,but I liked it alot…I remember some comments in Reddit before where a guy said to another dude something along lines:

    ”I f****d your mom last night”

    And dude replied with the simple:

    “So you’re a disappointment to both our mothers”

    I started using it since because it was a nice comeback imo….

    RUSuper , Taylor Report

    #3

    Man smiling while listening to music on a bus wearing headphones, plaid shirt; concept of savage insults and reactions. I'm not the quickest of wit, usually I'll come up with something that would have eviscerated a person about 2 hours after the conversation had finished, but there was one shining moment where everything came together.

    A group of idiot teenagers got onto the bus that I was on, being loud and abrasive, and one of them, as they were passing me, burped into my face.

    Without skipping a beat, I sniffed the air and said "hmm, smells like c**k".

    It was wildly stupid to do given that there were a group of them, and it could have gone really badly for me, but his friends just collapsed in laughter and he turned beet red and just sat down sulking.

    TijoWasik , Getty Images Report

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    #4

    Absolute stuck up brat of a girl at school, to a teacher: "Do you know who my dad is?"

    Teacher, without hesitating for a second: "No, does you mum?".

    dbltax Report

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    Lotekguy
    Community Member
    3 weeks ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Not so good with a primary school brat, but just fine for a teenager.

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    #5

    Two men in a heated discussion, possibly exchanging savage insults, in a modern living room setting. During a teenage fight with my brother, I repeated what I thought was an iconic line:
    "Did you roll off the changing table as a baby?!?!"

    Before he could answer, our mom replied, guilt ridden, from the other room:

    "THAT ONLY HAPPENED TWICE!".

    gloriomono , stockking Report

    #6

    A man in a suit with a serious expression, representing concepts of savage insults. Bessie Braddock MP to Winston Churchill "sir, if I were married to you, I would put poison in your coffee "

    Winston Churchill "Madame, if I were married to you, I would drink it".

    Brighton2k , Yousuf Karsh Report

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    Bay Bo
    Community Member
    3 weeks ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Churchill also got told, sir u r drunk. To which he replied, madam u r ugly, but tomorrow I will b sober

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    #7

    I told my wife, jokingly, "You're not the dumbest b***h who ever lived but you better hope she doesn't die."

    Without missing a beat, my wife said, "Don't worry, I'd remarry.".

    ThatSituation Report

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    LittleTeapot
    Community Member
    3 weeks ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Don’t know why GP has so many downvotes?? Sure, not the most woke to assume the storyteller is a man but valid point that the comment doesn’t sound like the best indicator of a healthy, respectful relationship. Could be in well meant jest but honestly, dang.

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    #8

    When asked for his thoughts on the migration of New Zealanders to Australia, the then Prime Minister of New Zealand stated that the "annual exodus of Kiwis to Australia raised the average IQ of both countries".

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    #9

    My sister delivered an insult in the form of advice when I was pursuing a girl...

    "You can't play hard to get if you're hard to want."

    Devastating.

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    #10

    Empty playground swings set under a cloudy sky, illustrating a visual metaphor for savage insults. In Germany we ask politely "Did the Swings in your childhood stand too close to the wall?"

    DollimusMaximus , Sarah Kilian Report

    #11

    I came back from the barbers and said to my daughter (12 at the time).

    "Daddy looks good, doesn't he?"

    She barely glanced at me before saying

    "You look like something I drew with my left hand.".

    GreyAndJaded Report

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    #12

    There was a reddit thread about retail work awhile back where someone recounted a customer verbally abusing them. Another customer nearby chimed in

    "Your adult children don't speak to you do they."

    The reddit poster said they were looking at the problem customer when it happened and saw the insult land with devastating affect.

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    Vasana Phong
    Community Member
    3 weeks ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Sometimes you just have to hear it from a stranger for it to sink in

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    #13

    Two men and a woman in a heated argument, capturing a savage insult moment. Used to argue with a woman at my job. She cursed like a sailor, this place had no HR department to speak of. One time we were going at it over some protocol and she got so pissed she yells "BITE ME!"

    Not skipping a beat I replied, "I don't eat pork.".

    MannyFaces , Getty Images Report

    #14

    That gamer girl that told a dude getting on her "I'm gonna f**k your dad and get pregnant so I can give him a son he'll love" (paraphrasing obviously).

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    #15

    Person with tattoos inside a car, looking thoughtful, representing savage insults theme. "I envy people who don't know you.".

    blackmesawest , Blake Cheek Report

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    Lotekguy
    Community Member
    3 weeks ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I once told a colleague I was the best friend he had around here because I disliked him less than the others did. (I think it was the intro to feedback meant to be constructive. At least I hope it was.)

    #16

    I had a drunk female patient at work one night who was belligerent, treating the staff like s**t, etc. I informed her we are merely trying to help her. She screams at me "do you know who I am?! My husband has a bridge named after him!" I calmly reply, "ma'am if I were married to you, I'd jump off that bridge." This was the only time in my multi decade healthcare career that I was written up. The CEO of the entire hospital system consisting of facilities in multiple states personally called me and laughed about the whole thing...... specifically stating he's golfed with the husband and the husband hates her.

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    Jane Jayne Jain Jeign Jein
    Community Member
    3 weeks ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I hate that employers discipline staff for telling rude customers where to go. THIS is why society is collapsing, because A-hole people can lord it over service staff and it's the staff who worry about their jobs but it should be the customer who should worry about being banned and shamed.

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    #17

    Comedian on stage delivering savage insults during a stand-up performance, holding a microphone. "I'm so happy you're here. Give the people at home a break" Dylan Moran to a heckler at a comedy show i was at.

    CommanderKobe , Flickr upload bot Report

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    Papa
    Community Member
    3 weeks ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Many decades ago a comedian replied to a heckler "Hey, do I go to your job and jiggle your shovel?"

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    #18

    Man in a gray suit standing indoors, embodying a confident expression amidst a dimly lit background, conveying savage insult energy. “He’s so dense light bends around him!”

    That’s the best way I’ve heard to call someone stupid. Delivered by Malcolm Tucker from The thick of it.

    semifunctionalme , Stuart Crawford Report

    #19

    My buddy had a dude from work try to pick a fight with him. Dude said something like “well maybe I’ll kick your a*s” and my friend responded with “if you fight as hard as you work, I got nothing to be worried about.”.

    BuffaloInCahoots Report

    #20

    Man in a green shirt and knit hat holding a guitar, showcasing a thoughtful expression, embodies savage insult vibes. “Usually they throw out the placenta and keep the baby, but I see in your case they did the opposite “ - a Jamaican sheet rocker I used to work with.

    PantsOfALion , CAMCAT - Christopher Michael Report

    #21

    A person under a white blanket looks pensive, holding a phone, possibly reacting to savage insults. Along the same lines:

    "Knowledge seeks you, but you're faster"

    coffeebreakhero , Victoria Romulo Report

    #22

    Cute Labrador puppy by the lake, carrying a stick, evoking joy and playfulness. "Sending regrets I cannot attend your wedding. I'll be sure to catch the next one."

    ETA: You seem like the type of guy who gets jealous of his girlfriend's dog.

    -AppropriateLyrics , Kateryna Hliznitsova Report

    #23

    40 more IQ points and you'd be a moron.

    Chaotic424242 Report

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    Robert T
    Community Member
    3 weeks ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Some people have a room temperature IQ, but yours is in Celcius!

    #25

    “If you had a single thought in your mind, it would die of loneliness.”.

    baby_spice97 Report

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    Robert T
    Community Member
    3 weeks ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    "So which one of you has the family braincell today. Not you, clearly."

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    #26

    Man looking frustrated in a bedroom setting, possibly reacting to a savage insult. I've said: "if you could understand why your wife was right to leave you then she wouldn't have left you".

    Grimdotdotdot , Getty Images Report

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    #27

    "You have delusions of adequacy" - commenter's mom, apparently.

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    #28

    I dropped a bucket of paint at one of my first jobs.

    A man that worked there for years turned to me and said "Good one d**k fingers you f**k everything you touch."

    It still hurts.

    anon Report

    #29

    Child writing in a workbook with a pencil on a wooden table, focusing intently. "Your learning curve is a circle."

    Saw it on reddit once.

    Pandarenu , Annie Spratt Report

    #30

    "You're more annoying than the toe seam of a wet tube sock." To be fair, in that moment, I deserved it.

    flakey_biscuit Report

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    Tiger
    Community Member
    3 weeks ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I used to work with a coworker who would shower with socks on, and send us videos of it (just his feet, not his body lol) just to drive us nuts. And it really did, there’s something so agitating about the idea of showering with socks on 🤢😂

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    #31

    20 ish years ago...A friend of mine complimented a guys shirt in the bar. The guy didn't take the compliment well, and actually got visibly upset. The guy accused my friend of being gay, which my friend coldly responded..
    "Dude, i am straight, but even if I was gay, you're not good looking enough"..it was f*****g beautiful.

    306ughmyknees Report

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    Tiger
    Community Member
    3 weeks ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I love seeing men compliment each other. It’s really sweet. (And kind of attractive honestly 😂)

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    #32

    I (heavily freckled) was trading insults with a buddy (as only friendly guys will do) and he said I looked like I had stood behind a flatulent cow.

    I was devistated. I nearly shed a tear. I looked him straight in the the eye and said...


    "No. It was your mom.".

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    #33

    You are not trying to be the person Mr. Rodgers wanted you to be.

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    #34

    Smiling child wearing a dark shirt, capturing a playful moment, related to savage insults. Before I had braces my fifth grade teacher told me I look I could eat corn off the cob through a chain link fence.

    KaptOKrunch , EyeEm Report

    #35

    I was just recently on a school trip where I was chaperoning a bunch of high schoolers and we were having a bit of a roast battle and one of them says to me, "you look like someone who bought NFTs"


    F*****g brutal.

    redribbonrecon Report

    #36

    "I'll not take a lecture from a man who looks like he'd struggle to read the back of a shampoo bottle".

    IamIronDann Report

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    LaserBrain
    Community Member
    3 weeks ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Try reading the list of all those crazy chemicals in there, I think most of us would struggle

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    #37

    First time I heard "Bachelors should be heavily taxed. It is not fair that some men should be happier than others," I told my mom about it and she thought it was obnoxious.

    A few weeks later we went to a restaurant with my dad. It was raining so he dropped us off at the front, parked in a lot three blocks down, and raced back in the pouring rain. My dad makes good money but most of it goes towards the family, obviously. His single brother has the same job and had just bought his third sports car before heading off for a 2 week singles cruise.

    As we watched my dad run towards us, my mom turned to me and said "Oscar Wilde may not have had it entirely wrong."

    midnightsunofabitch Report

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    Nicky
    Community Member
    3 weeks ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Reminds me of the W. Somerset Maughm's "Ant and Grasshopper" short story about miserable contientous brother watching his perpetually-partying brother marry a super-weathly woman.

    #38

    When I was in elementary school, I remember a kid calling another kid he was arguing with a "penis wrinkle."

    I think about it all the time still, 30 years later.

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    #39

    Idk about most brutal but I once heard my mother call another woman a mattress backed b***h and thought it was pretty bad a*s as far as insults go.

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    #40

    Some dude was going on an on about this long winded story that he always seemed to like to tell. Someone said, "Oh my god. You should be in the Guinness Book of No One Gives a S**t!" that ended his story pretty quickly.

    Also "You're the type of guy who farts, but never has the s**t to back it up!" is always a solid one.

    MrCrix Report

    #41

    Our music teacher in middle school had really inflated lips, like bad plastic surgery looking lips.

    She was reprimanding this girl in my class for something so the girl put her forearms together in front of her mouth and started opening and closing them like a massive mouth.

    I liked that teacher but I couldn't help but laugh...i still think about it. Classic.

    3-3-2019 Report

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    #42

    Woman in emotional distress after hearing a savage insult, holding her hand to her face in a white shirt. I like"Everyone who ever loved you was wrong".

    Deadsuooo , Nini FromParis Report

    #43

    “You’re the reason abortion is legalized.”.

    Educational-Work-434 Report

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    Vasana Phong
    Community Member
    3 weeks ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    “ You should be the poster child for why you should use condoms “

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    #44

    "Your wife must have the cleanest vagina in the state because you're the biggest douche I've ever met! ".

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    Lotekguy
    Community Member
    3 weeks ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    "Can your wife take a dump at home when her a-hole is here at work?"

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    #45

    Some kid posted on r/RoastMe when I was in high school, said he was religious. Somebody commented "Jesus would deny himself three time if he knew you were one of his followers." And I have never been able to get that out of my head. It's so f****n good.

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    UncleJohn3000
    Community Member
    3 weeks ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Jesus is just alright with me but I've been sorely disappointed by many of his followers.

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    #46

    A friend of mine said this to an attention seeking chick in college - "you're not pretty enough to be this dumb" 💀.

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    #47

    I heard someone say yesterday “the people that deal with you on a daily basis are real hero’s”. I cringed for the person on the end of that one.

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    #48

    Person deep in thought, pointing to head, possibly pondering savage insults, wearing a gray shirt against a plain background. You are the most fun when you are silent.

    shangolana , Afif Ramdhasuma Report

    #49

    Kind of blue-collar stuff but have seen white-collar people saying it in the oilfield business. There is a saying when one tries to outsmart the other. Heads up. Not classy at all.

    "Don't teach your father how to f*** your mom".

    mdamoun Report

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    UncleJohn3000
    Community Member
    3 weeks ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Seems appropriate for a business based on liquid-filled tubes under pressure.

    #50

    Woman in blue shirt looking at her phone, appearing shocked by a savage insult. One day you will realise that your friends were right to leave you behind.

    Nullagainagain , Getty Images Report

    #51

    Onetime I took a test and got none of the answers correct. Even someone who guesses on all the answers are very likely to get at least a few right yet I got none while trying. Because of this someone said to me "your not the clown you're the entire circus".

    SemenSeeU Report

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    UncleJohn3000
    Community Member
    3 weeks ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Woof. I had a student get 11% on a multiple choice test where you'd get 25% by simply guessing. Unfortunately, I said, "You should get 25% even if you don't know the language." We became intrigued on just how she did that and upon examination, it was a combination of poor notetaking habits, poor test preparation, and bad test anxiety. She quickly learned better methods and passed the class.

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    #52

    Old retail job, an old guy (creepy pervert) was hitting on (sexually harassing) a 22 yo co-worker of mine. Basically called her beautiful (tbf, she was a lot more than just good looking) and saying that with looks like hers she'd be better off with him. Her response:

    "Thanks, but I'd rather be here than with a guy who looks like if a s*****m had a kneecap.".

    Purple_Dragon_94 Report

    #53

    You make the happy meal sad.

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    #54

    Back in French class, we were tasked to figure out ways to insult one another.
    The class opened with "French swear words" in order to get that out of the way, and then progressed to creative description of each other's qualities..

    I got put in front of a very pretty Russian girl and told to insult her, my mind went completely blank of French Vocab, and I told her I found her "boring".

    The class agreed that this was by far the most cutting insult we'd so far come up with.

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    #56

    You could play chess alone and still lose.

    You've only got 2 brain cells, and both are fighting for second place.

    I feel bad for the trees that support your mouth breathing.

    Ur mom gay.

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    #57

    That time someone called Pete Davidson b******e eyes.

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    #58

    I was once told ‘if it wasn’t against the law we would literally kill you, which is why you should do it yourself.’ ironically ended up being on decent terms with the girls that said it, still not reaaaally what i needed to hear as a 12 year old lmao
    EDIT: to clarify, these were girls in my class, yes they were 12 too. i don’t think they fully understood the weight of their words which is a big reason why we’re cool now.

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    #59

    "You will never be loved", still hits hard.

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    #60

    "Is your head flat at the back for, like, cultural reasons, or did even your parents not have the time to waste on you?".

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    Alyssa Phillips
    Community Member
    3 weeks ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Aw. I have a flat head .... My mom didn't know to roll or shape me.

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