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.
- Some people find pornography offensive.
- An offensive smell.
- 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.
- (sports) Having to do with play directed at scoring.
- The offensive coordinator is responsible for ordering all rushing plays.
Usage notes[edit]
- Nouns to which "offensive" is often applied: content, material, language, word, comment, remark, statement, speech, joke, humor, image, picture, art, behavior, conduct, act, action.
- 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.
Synonyms[edit]
- aggressive
- invidious (Intending to cause envious offense)
Antonyms[edit]
- inoffensive (not causing offense or disgust)
- defensive (relating or causing defence)
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.
Translations[edit]
an attack
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posture of attack
Further reading[edit]
- offensive in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
- offensive in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911
Danish[edit]
Adjective[edit]
offensive
- plural and definite singular attributive of offensiv
French[edit]
Pronunciation[edit]
Audio (file)
Adjective[edit]
offensive
Noun[edit]
offensive f (plural offensives)
- An offensive (military attack).
Further reading[edit]
- “offensive” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).
German[edit]
Adjective[edit]
offensive
- inflection of offensiv:
Italian[edit]
Pronunciation[edit]
- Rhymes: -ive
Adjective[edit]
offensive f
Noun[edit]
offensive f
Norwegian Bokmål[edit]
Adjective[edit]
offensive
Norwegian Nynorsk[edit]
Adjective[edit]
offensive
Categories:
- English terms derived from Middle French
- English terms derived from Medieval Latin
- English terms derived from Latin
- English 3-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English terms with audio links
- English lemmas
- English adjectives
- English terms with usage examples
- English terms with quotations
- en:Sports
- English nouns
- English uncountable nouns
- English countable nouns
- en:Military
- Danish non-lemma forms
- Danish adjective forms
- French terms with audio links
- French non-lemma forms
- French adjective forms
- French lemmas
- French nouns
- French feminine nouns
- French countable nouns
- German non-lemma forms
- German adjective forms
- Italian non-lemma forms
- Italian adjective forms
- Italian noun plural forms
- Norwegian Bokmål non-lemma forms
- Norwegian Bokmål adjective forms
- Norwegian Nynorsk non-lemma forms
- Norwegian Nynorsk adjective forms
