defensiveness

American  

[dih-fen-siv-nis] / dɪˈfɛn sɪv nɪs /

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.

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Other Word Forms

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

Etymology

Origin of defensiveness

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

Example Sentences

Utilities offer a mix of AI exposure and defensiveness, sporting the fourth-cheapest forward P/E and fifth-lowest PEG ratio.

From Barron's • Jan. 6, 2026

Humorous responses to rage bait, which depends on eliciting defensiveness that can be fed back into the outrage machine, robs it of oxygen.

From Salon • Dec. 8, 2025

Similarly, Klayman’s research shows that backward-looking criticism can often trigger defensiveness, which interferes with the desire to improve, as opposed to focusing on plans for improvement.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 4, 2025

"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 • Jul. 8, 2025

Disgust, for example, is 1, contempt is 2, anger is 7, defensiveness is 10, whining is 11, sadness is 12, stonewalling is 13, neutral is 14, and so on.

From "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell