Dictionary.com

defensive

[ dih-fen-siv ]
/ dɪˈfɛn sɪv /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR defensive

adjective

noun

a position or attitude of defense: to be on the defensive about one's mistakes.
Obsolete. something that serves to defend.

QUIZZES

BECOME A PRO CHEF WITH THIS EXQUISITE CUISINE QUIZ!

Even if you can't be a professional chef, you can at least talk like one with this vocabulary quiz.
Question 1 of 9
You may have read the word "simmer" in a recipe or two, but what does it really mean?
To cook in water that begins cold and then reaches a boil.
To stew in a sauce for a long time.
To cook in water, just below boiling temperature.
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of defensive

1350–1400; <Medieval Latin dēfēnsīvus (see defense, -ive); replacing Middle English defensif<Middle French <Medieval Latin, as above

OTHER WORDS FROM defensive

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to defensive

opposing, conservative, preservative, thwarting, foiling, averting, forestalling, preventive, uptight, arresting, resistive, balking, checking, defending, frustrating, guarding, interrupting, protecting, safeguarding, withstanding

Example sentences from the Web for defensive

British Dictionary definitions for defensive

defensive
/ (dɪˈfɛnsɪv) /

adjective

intended, suitable, or done for defence, as opposed to offence
rejecting criticisms of oneself or covering up one's failings

noun

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, adverbdefensiveness, 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

Idioms and Phrases with defensive

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.