insultant

English

Etymology 1

Blend of insult +‎ consultant

Noun

insultant (plural insultants)

1. (business, colloquial) A consultant who is willing to criticise the organisation that they work for.
   • 2004, William R. Childs, Scott B. Martin, Wanda Stitt-Gohdes, Business and Industry: Corporate governance to entrepreneurship

     As a consultant, he has specialized in strategy and policy for businesses, nonprofits, and government agencies around the globe. He is perhaps most famous for his direct criticisms of management, acknowledging that clients consider him a management "insultant."

   • 2008, Lu KeeHong, The 7e Way of Leaders (page 3)

     Not surrounding yourself with only the 'Yes' men and women. Invite some 'Insultants' instead of just Consultants to keep you honest. Most consultants will tell you what you want to hear […]

   • 2014, BusinessNews Publishing, Summary: The Breakthrough Company

     Breakthroughs like having insultants around because they're prepared to buck convention and challenge the fundamental assumptions of the business. Outsiders serving as insultants are generally best because they feel no need to defer to the preferences of the CEO in order to enhance their promotion prospects.

Etymology 2

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Adjective

insultant

1. (rare) insulting

Noun

insultant (plural insultants)

1. (rare) One who delivers an insult.
   • 2013, Claudis Weyser, The Diary of an Aphorisiac

     The insult is one of the highest art forms. It is a form of minimalism, like the minimalism of an abstract artist. The one who insults is an insultant who, rather than use a canvas, uses another person. The insultant draws lines on a person to reduce them to the person they see and want others to see; and lines which they want the insulted one to feel.

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Catalan

Pronunciation

• (Balearic, Valencian) IPA^(key): /in.sulˈtant/
• (Central) IPA^(key): /in.sulˈtan/
• Rhymes: -ant

Verb

insultant

1. present participle of insultar

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French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɛ̃.syl.tɑ̃/
• Homophone: insultants

Adjective

insultant (feminine singular insultante, masculine plural insultants, feminine plural insultantes)

1. insulting

Verb

insultant

1. present participle of insulter

Further reading

• “insultant” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

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Latin

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /inˈsul.tant/, [ĩːˈs̠ʊɫ̪.t̪an̪t̪]
• (Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /inˈsul.tant/, [inˈsul̪.t̪an̪t̪]

Verb

īnsultant

1. third-person plural present active indicative of īnsultō