offensive
Americanadjective
-
causing resentful displeasure; highly irritating, angering, or annoying.
offensive television commercials.
- Synonyms:
- unpleasant, vexatious
- Antonyms:
- pleasing
-
unpleasant or disagreeable to the sense.
an offensive odor.
- Synonyms:
- repellent, revolting, disgusting, distasteful
- Antonyms:
- pleasing
-
repugnant to the moral sense, good taste, or the like; insulting.
an offensive remark; an offensive joke.
- Synonyms:
- disgusting, distasteful, shocking, repulsive, repellent, revolting
-
pertaining to offense or attack.
the offensive movements of their troops.
- Antonyms:
- defensive
-
characterized by attack; aggressive.
offensive warfare.
noun
-
the position or attitude of aggression or attack.
to take the offensive.
-
an aggressive movement or attack.
a carefully planned naval offensive.
adjective
-
unpleasant or disgusting, as to the senses
-
causing anger or annoyance; insulting
-
for the purpose of attack rather than defence
noun
-
an attitude or position of aggression
-
an assault, attack, or military initiative, esp a strategic one
Usage
The label Offensive is used in this dictionary to indicate that a particular term or definition is likely to be perceived as insulting by a listener or reader—an affront to that particular individual or to an entire group of like individuals—whether or not an offense was intended. Offensive is often paired with the label Disparaging, which is used to indicate that those people who use the offensive term do so to offend intentionally.
Synonym Usage
See hateful.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
nonoffensivenessnoun
-
offensivenessnoun
-
overoffensivenessnoun
-
preoffensivenessnoun
-
superoffensivenessnoun
-
unoffensivenessnoun
-
nonoffensiveadjective
-
overoffensiveadjective
-
preoffensiveadjective
-
quasi-offensiveadjective
-
superoffensiveadjective
-
unoffensiveadjective
-
nonoffensivelyadverb
-
offensivelyadverb
-
overoffensivelyadverb
-
preoffensivelyadverb
-
quasi-offensivelyadverb
-
superoffensivelyadverb
-
unoffensivelyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of offensive
First recorded in 1540–50; from Medieval Latin offēnsīvus, from Latin offēns(us) “struck against” (past participle of offendere “to strike against, displease”; see offend) + -īvus -ive
Explanation
Offensive describes rude or hurtful behavior, or a military or sports incursion into an opponent's territory. In any context, "on the offensive" means on the attack. Although offense and defense are opposites, offensive and defensive aren't always. Defensive can mean anxiously challenging of all criticism. Offensive can mean not just attacking someone or something, but belching, insulting people, or otherwise not respecting common standards of behavior.
Vocabulary lists containing offensive
"Diary of a Wimpy Kid" by Jeff Kinney
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American Football, 1st Quarter
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Franklin D. Roosevelt, "A Date That Will Live In Infamy" (1941)
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In recent days, the UN, several governments and aid organisations have warned of a possible RSF offensive on El-Obeid.
From Barron's • Jul. 3, 2026
Alexander Lunin, 39, volunteered to fight in Ukraine following the start of Moscow's full-scale offensive in 2022.
From Barron's • Jun. 29, 2026
He made the Pro Bowl in each of his first three seasons and was named the league’s offensive player of the year in 2009.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 29, 2026
Tucker has had moments this season when it looked like he was heading toward an offensive turnaround.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 28, 2026
The British could win a decisive victory, he believed, by opening a new offensive in Belgian Flanders over the old battlefields around the ruined town of Ypres.
From "The War to End All Wars: World War I" by Russell Freedman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
