A female faces insults (8)

I believe the answer is:

affronts

'insults' is the definition.
('affront' can be a synonym of 'insult')

'a female faces' is the wordplay.
'female' becomes 'f' (abbreviation).
'faces' becomes 'fronts' (front is a kind of face).
'a'+'f'+'fronts'='AFFRONTS'

(Other definitions for affronts that I've seen before include "Snubs" , "insults or embarrassments" , "Insults, shows of disrespect" , "Public insults" , "Deliberate insults" .)

I've seen this clue in the Best For Puzzles.

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