offensive

[uh-fen-siv, aw-fen-, of-en-]

adjective

1. causing resentful displeasure; highly irritating, angering, or annoying.

   offensive television commercials.

   Synonyms: unpleasant, vexatious
   Antonyms: pleasing

2. unpleasant or disagreeable to the sense.

   an offensive odor.

   Synonyms: repellent, revolting, disgusting, distasteful
   Antonyms: pleasing

3. repugnant to the moral sense, good taste, or the like; insulting.

   an offensive remark; an offensive joke.

   Synonyms: disgusting, distasteful, shocking, repulsive, repellent, revolting

4. pertaining to offense or attack.

   the offensive movements of their troops.

   Antonyms: defensive

5. characterized by attack; aggressive.

   offensive warfare.

noun

1. the position or attitude of aggression or attack.

   to take the offensive.

2. an aggressive movement or attack.

   a carefully planned naval offensive.

offensive

/ əˈfɛnsɪv /

adjective

1. unpleasant or disgusting, as to the senses

2. causing anger or annoyance; insulting

3. for the purpose of attack rather than defence

noun

1. an attitude or position of aggression

2. 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.

Other Word Forms

• offensively adverb
• offensiveness noun
• nonoffensive adjective
• nonoffensively adverb
• nonoffensiveness noun
• overoffensive adjective
• overoffensively adverb
• overoffensiveness noun
• preoffensive adjective
• preoffensively adverb
• preoffensiveness noun
• quasi-offensive adjective
• quasi-offensively adverb
• superoffensive adjective
• superoffensively adverb
• superoffensiveness noun
• unoffensive adjective
• unoffensively adverb
• unoffensiveness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of offensive¹

First recorded in 1540–50; from Medieval Latin offēnsīvus, from Latin offēns(us) “struck against” (past participle of offendere “to strike against, displease”; offend ) + -īvus -ive

Synonym Study

See hateful.

Example Sentences

His running mate Reaves, in the midst of a career year, is “one of the greatest offensive engines in this year’s NBA.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Oxford defines "rage bait" as "online content deliberately designed to elicit anger or outrage by being frustrating, provocative, or offensive, typically posted" in order to increase web traffic or engagement.

Read more on Barron's

Over three-and-a-half years into Russia's full-scale invasion of its neighbour, Kyiv is also under pressure on the battlefield as Russia's offensive grinds forward.

Read more on Barron's

It has been a woeful year for first-year Raiders coach Pete Carroll, who last week bid farewell to offensive coordinator Chip Kelly.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The graduate assistant grader gave the essay a zero, noting that it “contradicts itself,” “heavily uses personal ideology over empirical evidence,” and contains passages that are “offensive.”

Read more on Salon

Related Words

• abhorrent 
• abusive 
• annoying 
• distasteful 
• embarrassing www.thesaurus.com
• horrible 
• irritating 
• objectionable 
• obnoxious 
• outrageous 
• reprehensible 
• repugnant 
• repulsive 
• rude 
• shocking