defensiveness

[dih-fen-siv-nis]

noun

1. excessive concern with guarding against the real or imagined threat of criticism, injury to one’s ego, exposure of one’s shortcomings, etc..

   Employee defensiveness may be reduced by moving the focus of the conversation from the person to the behaviors.

2. the condition of being abnormally sensitive to certain stimuli, leading to avoidance or overreaction.

   Sensory defensiveness often takes the form of increased negative reactivity to noises from fans, clocks, car doors, etc.

3. the state or condition of being prepared to defend against attack from an enemy.

   A military adviser’s job involves improving a nation's army and overall defensiveness against foreign attackers.

Other Word Forms

• nondefensiveness noun
• overdefensiveness noun
• semidefensiveness noun
• undefensiveness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of defensiveness¹

First recorded in 1595–1605; defensive ( def. ) + -ness ( def. )

Example Sentences

Orange County’s new sophistication ought to be above rivalry, but a touch of parochial defensiveness remains.

From Los Angeles Times

And in other allegations, the complaint accuses the board of presiding over "an internal culture that has become defined by fear and defensiveness".

From BBC

As usual with racist conspiracists, the psychological motivation is a combination of sublimated shame and defensiveness, manifesting in a victim complex.

From Salon

"The review marked what we thought would be the beginning of real systematic change, the start of building a system that listens to women when they report harm – an end to defensiveness and denial."

From BBC

The ONS had come under fire from its own regulator for "defensiveness" when responding to criticism of its new analysis of gender identity.

From BBC