agredir
“agredir” means “to attack” in Spanish. It has 2 different meanings depending on context:
to attack
Also: to assault, to insult
📝 In Action
El hombre intentó agredir al policía durante la protesta.
B1The man tried to attack the police officer during the protest.
Nunca es aceptable agredir a alguien por sus ideas.
B2It is never acceptable to verbally attack someone for their ideas.
Fue agredida por un desconocido en la calle.
B1She was assaulted by a stranger in the street.
to offend
Also: to clash with, to damage
📝 In Action
Ese color de pared agrede la vista.
C1That wall color is an eyesore (attacks the vision).
La construcción del hotel va a agredir el paisaje natural.
C1The hotel's construction is going to damage the natural landscape.
Subjunctive
Imperfect Subjunctive
Present Subjunctive
Indicative
Preterite
Imperfect
Present
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✏️ Quick Practice
Quick Quiz: agredir
Question 1 of 3
Which sentence uses 'agredir' to mean a physical assault?
📚 More Resources
👥 Word Family▼
📚 Etymology▼
From Latin 'aggredī', which means 'to approach' or 'to step toward.' Over time, it specifically came to mean approaching someone in a hostile or threatening way.
First recorded: 15th century
Cognates (Related words)
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is 'agredir' a regular verb?
Yes, in modern Spanish it is treated as a regular -ir verb. In the past, it was considered 'defective' (only used in forms containing the letter 'i'), but that is no longer the case.
What is the difference between 'atacar' and 'agredir'?
'Atacar' is more general (an army attacks, a cat attacks a toy). 'Agredir' is more often used for human-on-human assault or verbal abuse, and sounds more formal or legal.
Can I use 'agredir' for bad smells or sounds?
Yes! Figuratively, you can say 'ese olor agrede mi olfato' (that smell is assaulting my nose) to show that it is very strong and unpleasant.