ofensivo

Portuguese

Alternative forms

• offensivo (pre-standardization spelling)

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Medieval Latin offēnsīvus, from Latin offēnsus, past participle of offendō (“to offend”). By surface analysis, ofenso +‎ -ivo.

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /o.fẽˈsi.vu/

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /o.fẽˈsi.vu/
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /o.fẽˈsi.vo/

 

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ɔ.fẽˈsi.vu/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ɔ.fẽˈsi.vu/
  • (Northern Portugal) IPA^(key): /ɔ.fẽˈsi.bu/ [ɔ.fẽˈsi.βu]

• Rhymes: -ivu
• Hyphenation: o‧fen‧si‧vo

Adjective

ofensivo (feminine ofensiva, masculine plural ofensivos, feminine plural ofensivas)

1. offensive (causing offence)
2. (military, sports) offensive (relating to attacks)

Related terms

• ofensa

Further reading

• “ofensivo”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2026
• “ofensivo”, in Dicionário inFormal (in Portuguese), 2006–2026
• “ofensivo” in Dicionário Aberto based on Novo Diccionário da Língua Portuguesa de Cândido de Figueiredo, 1913
• “ofensivo”, in Dicionário infopédia da Lingua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Porto: Porto Editora, 2003–2026
• “ofensivo”, in Michaelis Dicionário Brasileiro da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), São Paulo: Editora Melhoramentos, 2015–2026, →ISBN
• “ofensivo”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2026

Spanish

Etymology

Borrowed from Medieval Latin offēnsīvus, from Latin offēnsus, past participle of offendō (“to offend”). By surface analysis, ofenso +‎ -ivo.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ofenˈsibo/ [o.fẽnˈsi.β̞o]
• Rhymes: -ibo
• Syllabification: o‧fen‧si‧vo

Adjective

ofensivo (feminine ofensiva, masculine plural ofensivos, feminine plural ofensivas)

1. offensive

   Synonym: ultrajante

   • 2025 April 9, Jennifer Hansler, “USAID informa a su personal extranjero que será despedido a mediados de agosto”, in CNN en Español‎^[1]:

     “Y es especialmente ofensivo para texr, en lugares peligrosos, perseveraron trabajando con nosotros y se quedaron sin nada, ni siquiera una visa especial de inmigrante (SIV)”. Una SIV, o visa especial de inmigrante, permite el reasentamiento en EE.UU. a quienes trabajaron para el gobierno estadounidense.

     “And it’s especially offensive to those who, in dangerous places, persevered working with us and were left with nothing, not even a Special Immigrant Visa (SIV).” An SIV, or Special Immigrant Visa, allows resettlement in the U.S. for those who have worked for the U.S. government.

Further reading

• “ofensivo”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025