froisser

to crumple, to offend

verb frwah-SEH Rare

Usage Note

Froisser has a physical sense (to crumple fabric or paper) and a figurative one (to hurt someone's feelings or offend): je ne voudrais pas te froisser (I wouldn't want to offend you). The reflexive se froisser means either to wrinkle or to take offence — context decides. In sports, se froisser un muscle means to strain a muscle, a third, medical sense worth noting.

Examples

"Il ne voulait pas la froisser."

Natural Translation

He didn't want to offend her.

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