offensive
See also: Offensive
English
editAlternative forms
editEtymology
editFrom Middle French offensif, from offendre + -if by analogy with défensif. Offendre is from Latin offendere (“to offend”); see offend.
Pronunciation
editAdjective
editoffensive (comparative more offensive, superlative most offensive)
- Causing offense; arousing a visceral reaction of disgust, anger, hatred, sadness, or indignation.
- Antonym: inoffensive
- Some people find pornography offensive.
- An offensive smell.
- 2016 September 12, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, “Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: Political Incorrectness Is Just a Strategy”, in Time[1]:
- A survey at Yale University had 63% of students wanting professors to issue “trigger warnings” before saying anything that some might find offensive or could cause painful emotions.
- Relating to an offense or attack, as opposed to defensive.
- Antonym: defensive
- The army's offensive capabilities. An offensive weapon.
- 2013 June 7, Ed Pilkington, “‘Killer robots’ should be banned in advance, UN told”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 188, number 26, page 6:
- In his submission to the UN, [Christof] Heyns points to the experience of drones. Unmanned aerial vehicles were intended initially only for surveillance, and their use for offensive purposes was prohibited, yet once strategists realised their perceived advantages as a means of carrying out targeted killings, all objections were swept out of the way.
- (sports) Having to do with play directed at scoring.
- The offensive coordinator is responsible for ordering all rushing plays.
Synonyms
edit- aggressive
- invidious (Intending to cause envious offense)
Derived terms
editRelated terms
editCollocations
editwith nouns
- offensive content
- offensive language
- offensive material
- offensive word
- offensive comment
- offensive remark
- offensive statement
- offensive speech
- offensive joke
- offensive humor
- offensive image
- offensive picture
- offensive art
- offensive behavior
- offensive conduct
- offensive act
- offensive action
Translations
editcausing offense
|
relating to attack, offense
|
team sports: having to do with play directed at scoring
|
Noun
editoffensive (countable and uncountable, plural offensives)
- (countable, military) An attack.
- The Marines today launched a major offensive.
- 1939 January, Lin Yu, “The "China Incident"”, in Philippine Magazine[2], volume XXXVI, number 1, →OCLC, page 121:
- In Central Hupeh, the Japanese launched another offensive from the Kingshan region, but instead of moving southwestward to cooperate with another column of theirs to capture Shasi, this column swerved to the northwest and succeeded in capturing Chunghsiang on the Han River.
- (uncountable) The posture of attacking or being able to attack.
- He took the offensive in the press, accusing his opponent of corruption.
Derived terms
editTranslations
editan attack
|
posture of attack
- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked
Further reading
edit- “offensive”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
- “offensive”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
Danish
editAdjective
editoffensive
- plural and definite singular attributive of offensiv
French
editPronunciation
edit- IPA(key): /ɔ.fɑ̃.siv/
- Homophone: offensives
Audio: (file)
Etymology 1
editFirst attested 1417; formed from offense, from Latin offēnsare (“to strike against”).
Noun
editoffensive f (plural offensives)
Derived terms
editDescendants
edit- → German: Offensive
Etymology 2
editSee the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.
Adjective
editoffensive
Further reading
edit- “offensive”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.
German
editPronunciation
editAudio: (file)
Adjective
editoffensive
- inflection of offensiv:
Italian
editPronunciation
editAdjective
editoffensive
Noun
editoffensive f
Norwegian Bokmål
editAdjective
editoffensive
Norwegian Nynorsk
editAdjective
editoffensive
Swedish
editAdjective
editoffensive
Categories:
- English terms derived from Middle French
- English terms derived from Latin
- English 3-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English terms with audio pronunciation
- English lemmas
- English adjectives
- English terms with usage examples
- English terms with quotations
- en:Sports
- English nouns
- English uncountable nouns
- English countable nouns
- en:Military
- en:Personality
- Danish non-lemma forms
- Danish adjective forms
- French 3-syllable words
- French terms with IPA pronunciation
- French terms with homophones
- French terms with audio pronunciation
- French terms derived from Latin
- French lemmas
- French nouns
- French countable nouns
- French feminine nouns
- fr:Military
- French non-lemma forms
- French adjective forms
- German terms with audio pronunciation
- German non-lemma forms
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- Italian 4-syllable words
- Italian terms with IPA pronunciation
- Rhymes:Italian/ive
- Rhymes:Italian/ive/4 syllables
- Italian non-lemma forms
- Italian adjective forms
- Italian noun forms
- Norwegian Bokmål non-lemma forms
- Norwegian Bokmål adjective forms
- Norwegian Nynorsk non-lemma forms
- Norwegian Nynorsk adjective forms
- Swedish non-lemma forms
- Swedish adjective forms