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

See Examples For:

defensiveness

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

While the “debasement trade” and investor defensiveness helped push the metals rally, Razaqzada pointed out that several factors eased that defensiveness this week.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 21, 2025

A culture of reputational defensiveness was able to take root, and false narratives were re-run.

From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2025

“I mean, why not use your comedian brain to fight through your defensiveness and think outside of yourself? Isn’t that what good comics do? Why don’t you just apologize?”

From Salon ● May 24, 2024

He has found that he can find out much of what he needs to know just by focusing on what he calls the Four Horsemen: defensiveness, stonewalling, criticism, and contempt.

From "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell