defensive
serving to defend; protective: defensive armament.
made or carried on for the purpose of resisting attack: defensive treaty;a defensive attitude.
of or relating to defense.
(of stocks, securities, etc.)
able to provide moderately steady growth with minimal risk: The bank has put a large percentage of its assets in defensive rather than growth stocks.
considered stable and relatively safe for investment, especially during a decline in the economy.
excessively concerned with guarding against the real or imagined threat of criticism, injury to one's ego, or exposure of one's shortcomings.
a position or attitude of defense: to be on the defensive about one's mistakes.
Obsolete. something that serves to defend.
Origin of defensive
1Other words from defensive
- de·fen·sive·ly, adverb
- de·fen·sive·ness, noun
- non·de·fen·sive, adjective
- non·de·fen·sive·ly, adverb
- o·ver·de·fen·sive, adjective
- o·ver·de·fen·sive·ly, adverb
- sem·i·de·fen·sive, adjective
- sem·i·de·fen·sive·ly, adverb
- un·de·fen·sive, adjective
- un·de·fen·sive·ly, adverb
Words Nearby defensive
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use defensive in a sentence
The Capitals have allowed at least three goals in 10 of 12 games and have repeatedly talked about getting better in their defensive zone.
For first time in three weeks, Capitals could be at full strength Sunday | Samantha Pell | February 11, 2021 | Washington PostUniversity of Puget Sound defensive lineman Peter Ciari missed the rush — and the snarl of the chain saw.
For this college football team, covid means the season starts in February — with Senior Day | Glynn A. Hill | February 11, 2021 | Washington PostThe Cavaliers held Georgia Tech well below its scoring average in that game, and this time, Virginia began with another defensive surge in the first half.
Virginia pulls away from Georgia Tech, tightens grip on first place in ACC | Gene Wang | February 11, 2021 | Washington PostOne of those players, Jason Pierre-Paul, reiterated calls to re-sign key defensive players.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers celebrate Super Bowl LV victory in boat parade | Cindy Boren, Glynn A. Hill | February 10, 2021 | Washington PostWashington had four scorers in double figures, perhaps in part because of a tweak in the starting lineup on Brooks’s end, and on the defensive end the Wizards did what was needed to keep Chicago in check.
Alex Len helps the Wizards fight off the Bulls with a late defensive stand | Ava Wallace | February 9, 2021 | Washington Post
And I need to ask why their truth makes me so defensive, as if my truth is the only truth.
Community activists attack racial bias in policing, so police get defensive?
Nelson wrote a paper at Dartmouth on Standard Oil, which was about as defensive and as deeply researched as you would expect.
I am, as the leader of the minority, the defensive coordinator.
Mitch McConnell’s Big Day: A Turtle Suns Himself | Olivia Nuzzi | November 4, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTOn the staff of every football team, you have an offensive coordinator and a defensive coordinator.
Mitch McConnell’s Big Day: A Turtle Suns Himself | Olivia Nuzzi | November 4, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTWhere were those defensive preparations concerning which we were requested to keep silence?
The Philippine Islands | John ForemanBoth men put themselves at once on the defensive: their blades crossed, but the attitudes were different and characteristic.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3) | Charles James WillsEither: we cannot give you what you ask, so fall back onto the defensive; or, go ahead, we will give you the means.
Gallipoli Diary, Volume I | Ian HamiltonThe Committee has not overlooked the fact that in some cases this attitude may have been due to a defensive reaction.
Report of the Special Committee on Moral Delinquency in Children and Adolescents | Oswald Chettle Mazengarb et al.Quickly recovering himself, he stood entirely on the defensive, which his vigorous activity enabled him easily to do.
Hunted and Harried | R.M. Ballantyne
British Dictionary definitions for defensive
/ (dɪˈfɛnsɪv) /
intended, suitable, or done for defence, as opposed to offence
rejecting criticisms of oneself or covering up one's failings
a position of defence
on the defensive in an attitude or position of defence, as in being ready to reject criticism
Derived forms of defensive
- defensively, adverb
- defensiveness, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with defensive
see on the defensive.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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