offensive
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See also: Offensive
English[edit]
Alternative forms[edit]
- offencive (obsolete)
Etymology[edit]
From Middle French offensif, from Medieval Latin offensivus, from Latin offendere (“to offend”), past participle offensus; see offend.
Pronunciation[edit]
Adjective[edit]
offensive (comparative more offensive, superlative most offensive)
- Causing offense; arousing a visceral reaction of disgust, anger, or hatred.
- 2016 September 12, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, “Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: Political Incorrectness Is Just a Strategy”, in Time[1]:
- A survey at Yale University had 63% of students wanting professors to issue “trigger warnings” before saying anything that some might find offensive or could cause painful emotions.
- Some people find pornography offensive.
- An offensive smell.
- Antonym: inoffensive
- Relating to an offense or attack, as opposed to defensive.
- 2013 June 7, Ed Pilkington, “‘Killer robots’ should be banned in advance, UN told”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 188, number 26, page 6:
- In his submission to the UN, [Christof] Heyns points to the experience of drones. Unmanned aerial vehicles were intended initially only for surveillance, and their use for offensive purposes was prohibited, yet once strategists realised their perceived advantages as a means of carrying out targeted killings, all objections were swept out of the way.
- The army's offensive capabilities. An offensive weapon.
- Antonym: defensive
- (sports) Having to do with play directed at scoring.
- The offensive coordinator is responsible for ordering all rushing plays.
Usage notes[edit]
- When the second syllable is emphasized, "offensive" is defined as "insulting". When the first syllable is emphasized, it refers to the attacker in a conflict or a sport.
- Nouns to which "offensive" is often applied: content, material, language, word, comment, remark, statement, speech, joke, humor, image, picture, art, behavior, conduct, act, action.
Synonyms[edit]
- aggressive
- invidious (Intending to cause envious offense)
Derived terms[edit]
Related terms[edit]
Translations[edit]
causing offense
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relating to attack, offense
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team sports: having to do with play directed at scoring
Noun[edit]
offensive (countable and uncountable, plural offensives)
- (countable, military) An attack.
- The Marines today launched a major offensive.
- (uncountable) The posture of attacking or being able to attack.
- He took the offensive in the press, accusing his opponent of corruption.
Derived terms[edit]
Translations[edit]
an attack
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posture of attack
- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Further reading[edit]
- offensive in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
- offensive in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
Danish[edit]
Adjective[edit]
offensive
- plural and definite singular attributive of offensiv
French[edit]
Pronunciation[edit]
- IPA(key): /ɔ.fɑ̃.siv/
- Homophone: offensives
Audio (file)
Etymology 1[edit]
(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)
Noun[edit]
offensive f (plural offensives)
Descendants[edit]
- → German: Offensive
Etymology 2[edit]
See the etymology of the main entry.
Adjective[edit]
offensive
Further reading[edit]
- “offensive” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).
German[edit]
Pronunciation[edit]
Audio (file)
Adjective[edit]
offensive
- inflection of offensiv:
Italian[edit]
Pronunciation[edit]
Adjective[edit]
offensive
Noun[edit]
offensive f
Norwegian Bokmål[edit]
Adjective[edit]
offensive
Norwegian Nynorsk[edit]
Adjective[edit]
offensive
Categories:
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