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Meaning of OFFENSIVE

Pronunciation:  u'fensiv

WordNet Dictionary
 
 Definition: 
  1. [n]  the action of attacking the enemy
  2. [adj]  of an offensive substitute for inoffensive terminology; "`nigger' is a dysphemistic term for `African-American'"
  3. [adj]  unpleasant or disgusting especially to the senses; "offensive odors"
  4. [adj]  morally offensive; "an unsavory reputation"; "an unsavory scandal"
  5. [adj]  causing anger or annoyance; "offensive remarks"
  6. [adj]  for the purpose of attack rather than defense; "offensive weapons"
  7. [adj]  violating or tending to violate or offend against; "violative of the principles of liberty"; "considered such depravity offensive against all laws of humanity"
  8. [adj]  causing or able to cause nausea; "a nauseating smell"; "nauseous offal"; "a sickening stench"
 
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 Synonyms: abhorrent, abusive, antipersonnel, assault(a), assaultive, attack(a), attacking(a), charnel, creepy, detestable, disgustful, disgusting, distasteful, dysphemistic, foul, ghastly, ghoulish, hideous, hit-and-run, horrid, horrific, incursive, insulting, invading, invasive, loathly, loathsome, marauding, morbid, nauseating, nauseous, noisome, objectionable, obnoxious, obscene, odoriferous, offence, offending, offense, on the offensive(p), opprobrious, outrageous, predatory, raiding, rank, repellant, repellent, repelling, repugnant, repulsive, revolting, scornful, scrimy, scurrilous, sepulchral, sickening, skanky, tip-and-run, unpleasant, unsavory, unsavoury, unwholesome, verminous, vile, violative, wicked, yucky
 
 Antonyms: defensive, euphemistic, inoffensive, savory, savoury, unoffending
 
 See Also: aggressive, counteroffensive, disrespectful, evil, harmful, hateful, hostile, military operation, operation, push back, rollback, unpalatable

 

 

Webster's 1913 Dictionary
 
 Definition: 
  1. \Of*fen"sive\, a. [Cf.F. offensif. See {Offend}.]
1. Giving offense; causing displeasure or resentment;
   displeasing; annoying; as, offensive words.
2. Giving pain or unpleasant sensations; disagreeable;
   revolting; noxious; as, an offensive smell; offensive
   sounds. ``Offensive to the stomach.'' --Bacon.
3. Making the first attack; assailant; aggressive; hence,
   used in attacking; -- opposed to {defensive}; as, an
   offensive war; offensive weapons.
{League offensive and defensive}, a leaque that requires all
   the parties to it to make war together against any foe,
   and to defend one another if attacked.
Syn: Displeasing; disagreeable; distasteful; obnoxious;
     abhorrent; disgusting; impertinent; rude; saucy;
     reproachful; opprobrious; insulting; insolent; abusive;
     scurrilous; assailant; attacking; invading. --
     {Of*fen"sive*ly}, adv. -- {Of*fen"sive*ness}, n.

  2. \Of*fen"sive\, n.
The state or posture of one who offends or makes attack;
aggressive attitude; the act of the attacking party; --
opposed to {defensive}.
{To act on the offensive}, to be the attacking party.
 
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Thesaurus Terms
 
 Related Terms: abhorrent, abominable, abusive, aggravated assault, aggression, aggressive, amphibious attack, antagonistic, appalling, armed assault, arrant, assailing, assailment, assault, atrocious, attack, attacking, awful, backhand, backhanded, bad, bad-smelling, banzai attack, barfy, base, battling, bawdy, beastly, bellicose, belligerent, below contempt, beneath contempt, blameworthy, blitz, blitzkrieg, bloodthirsty, bloody, bloody-minded, blue, boorish, brackish, breakthrough, brutal, caddish, calumnious, charge, chauvinist, chauvinistic, chintzy, cloying, coarse, combative, contemptible, contentious, contumelious, counterattack, counteroffensive, coup de main, crippling attack, crude, dead set at, degrading, deplorable, descent on, despicable, detestable, dire, dirty, disagreeable, discourteous, disgusting, displeasing, disrespectful, diversion, diversionary attack, dreadful, drive, egregious, enemy, enormous, evil, execrable, fecal, ferocious, Fescennine, fetid, fierce, fighting, filthy, flagrant, flank attack, forbidding, foul, foul-mouthed, foul-spoken, foul-tongued, frightful, frontal attack, frowsty, frowy, frowzy, full of fight, fulsome, funky, fusty, gamy, gas attack, ghastly, graveolent, grievous, grim, grisly, gross, gruesome, hateful, hawkish, head-on attack, heinous, hideous, high, horrible, horrid, hostile, humiliating, icky, ignoble, ill-bred, ill-smelling, impertinent, impolite, improper, impudent, impure, in bad taste, inappropriate, inconsiderate, indecent, indecorous, indelicate, inelegant, infamous, infiltration, inimical, insensitive, insolent, insulting, ithyphallic, jingo, jingoish, jingoist, jingoistic, lamentable, left-handed, lewd, lightning attack, lightning war, loathsome, lousy, loutish, louty, lurid, maggoty, malodorous, martial, mass attack, mawkish, megadeath, mephitic, miasmal, miasmic, mildewed, mildewy, militant, militaristic, military, moldy, monstrous, mugging, musty, nasty, nauseant, nauseating, nauseous, nefarious, nidorous, noisome, notorious, noxious, objectionable, obnoxious, obscene, odious, odorous, offense, olid, on the offensive, onset, onslaught, outrageous, overkill, overripe, panzer warfare, pitiable, pitiful, poisonous, pornographic, provocative, pugnacious, push, putrescent, putrid, quarrelsome, Rabelaisian, rancid, rank, raunchy, reasty, reasy, rebarbative, reechy, reeking, reeky, regrettable, repellent, repelling, reprehensible, repugnant, repulsive, revolting, ribald, rotten, rude, run against, run at, rush, saber-rattling, sad, salacious, sally, sanguinary, sanguineous, savage, scandalous, schlock, scrappy, scurrile, scurrilous, scurvy, shabby, shameful, shock tactics, shocking, shoddy, sickening, smellful, smelling, smelly, smoking-room, smutty, soldierlike, soldierly, sordid, sortie, spoiled, squalid, stenchy, stinking, strike, strong, stuffy, sulfurous, sultry, tactless, tasteless, terrible, threatening, too bad, trigger-happy, truculent, unappetizing, unbecoming, unbeseeming, unchaste, uncivil, unclean, uncongenial, undignified, unfeminine, unfitting, unfriendly, ungenteel, ungentle, ungentlemanly, ungrateful, unladylike, unmannerly, unpacific, unpalatable, unpeaceable, unpeaceful, unpleasant, unprintable, unprovoked assault, unrefined, unrepeatable, unsavory, unseemly, unsolicitous, unspeakable, unsuitable, untasteful, unwholesome, vile, villainous, vomity, vulgar, warlike, warmongering, warring, weevily, woeful, worst, worthless, wretched, yucky
 

 

 

 

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