Completely not though. Often the target isn't the audience for an insult, it's intended to undermine or belittle them in front of their peers. What makes insul

Completely not though. Often the target isn't the audience for an insult, it's intended to undermine or belittle them in front of their peers. What makes insults insulting is that they draw focus to a real or perceived difference in or loss of status. That's an external perception that you may have some influence over by your response, but to a large degree it's outside of your control in the moment.