offensive
Americanadjective
-
causing resentful displeasure; highly irritating, angering, or annoying.
offensive television commercials.
- Synonyms:
- unpleasant, vexatious
- Antonyms:
- pleasing
-
unpleasant or disagreeable to the sense.
an offensive odor.
- Synonyms:
- repellent, revolting, disgusting, distasteful
- Antonyms:
- pleasing
-
repugnant to the moral sense, good taste, or the like; insulting.
an offensive remark; an offensive joke.
- Synonyms:
- disgusting, distasteful, shocking, repulsive, repellent, revolting
-
pertaining to offense or attack.
the offensive movements of their troops.
- Antonyms:
- defensive
-
characterized by attack; aggressive.
offensive warfare.
noun
-
the position or attitude of aggression or attack.
to take the offensive.
-
an aggressive movement or attack.
a carefully planned naval offensive.
adjective
-
unpleasant or disgusting, as to the senses
-
causing anger or annoyance; insulting
-
for the purpose of attack rather than defence
noun
-
an attitude or position of aggression
-
an assault, attack, or military initiative, esp a strategic one
Usage
The label Offensive is used in this dictionary to indicate that a particular term or definition is likely to be perceived as insulting by a listener or reader—an affront to that particular individual or to an entire group of like individuals—whether or not an offense was intended. Offensive is often paired with the label Disparaging, which is used to indicate that those people who use the offensive term do so to offend intentionally.
Synonym Usage
See hateful.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
offensivelyadverb
-
nonoffensivelyadverb
-
overoffensivelyadverb
-
overoffensiveadjective
-
superoffensivenessnoun
-
preoffensivelyadverb
-
superoffensivelyadverb
-
superoffensiveadjective
-
nonoffensivenessnoun
-
quasi-offensivelyadverb
-
preoffensiveadjective
-
unoffensivenessnoun
-
offensivenessnoun
-
preoffensivenessnoun
-
unoffensiveadjective
-
quasi-offensiveadjective
-
overoffensivenessnoun
-
nonoffensiveadjective
-
unoffensivelyadverb
Etymology
Origin of offensive
First recorded in 1540–50; from Medieval Latin offēnsīvus, from Latin offēns(us) “struck against” (past participle of offendere “to strike against, displease”; see offend) + -īvus -ive
Explanation
Offensive describes rude or hurtful behavior, or a military or sports incursion into an opponent's territory. In any context, "on the offensive" means on the attack. Although offense and defense are opposites, offensive and defensive aren't always. Defensive can mean anxiously challenging of all criticism. Offensive can mean not just attacking someone or something, but belching, insulting people, or otherwise not respecting common standards of behavior.
Vocabulary lists containing offensive
"Diary of a Wimpy Kid" by Jeff Kinney
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American Football, 1st Quarter
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Franklin D. Roosevelt, "A Date That Will Live In Infamy" (1941)
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Once on the offensive, in most places across Myanmar the resistance is now on the defensive.
From BBC • Jun. 9, 2026
The play comes in the wake of a broader debate surrounding Dahl's work, which was revised by his publisher in 2023 to remove terms deemed offensive.
From Barron's • Jun. 8, 2026
Their offensive rating of 107.9 is eighth in the WNBA, but they’ve played half of their games without league-leading scorer Kelsey Plum.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 7, 2026
The New York Knicks hold a 2-0 NBA Finals lead, using a “five-out” offensive strategy to neutralize Victor Wembanyama.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 7, 2026
Now that the Soviet Army was on the offensive, the terrifying Orders 270 and 227 didn’t have to be enforced to the letter.
From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
