Dictionary

offensive en · ADJ

Pronunciation

• /ˈɑˌfɛnsɪv/ (cot-caught-merger)
• /ˈɔˌfɛnsɪv/ (US)
• (US) audio
• /əˈfɛnsɪv/
• /əˈfɪ̟nsɪv/ (pin-pen-merger)

Etymology

From Middle French offensif, from offendre + -if by analogy with défensif. Offendre is from Latin offendere (“to offend”); see offend.

Meanings

1. Causing offense; arousing a visceral reaction of disgust, anger, hatred, sadness, or indignation.
   • Some people find pornography offensive.
   • Britain’s police are especially zealous. Officers spend thousands of hours sifting through potentially offensive posts and arrest 30 people a day. Among those collared were a man who ranted about immigration on Facebook and a couple who criticised their daughter’s primary school. 2025 May 15, “Europe’s free-speech problem”, in The Economist:
   • An offensive smell.
   • 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. 2016 September 12, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, “Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: Political Incorrectness Is Just a Strategy”, in Time, archived from the original on 10 Oct 2023:
2. (broadly) Causing offense; arousing a visceral reaction of disgust, anger, hatred, sadness, or indignation. ▸ Socially disrespectful; insensitive.
3. Relating to an offense or attack, as opposed to defensive.
   • The army's offensive capabilities. An offensive weapon.
   • 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. 2013 June 7, Ed Pilkington, “‘Killer robots’ should be banned in advance, UN told”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 188, number 26, page 6:
4. Having to do with play directed at scoring.
   • The offensive coordinator is responsible for ordering all rushing plays.

Forms

Antonyms

inoffensive · defensive · inoffensive

Deriveds

counteroffensive · offensive guard · unoffensive · non-offensive · offensive zone · offensive tackle · offensive to pious ears · overoffensive · cyberoffensive · offensive line of scrimmage · inoffensive · offensively · offensive foul · counter-offensive · offensive line · offensiveness · superoffensive · offensive back · nonoffensive · offensive and defensive alliance

Relateds

offend · offense

Synonyms

aggressive · invidious

Translations (119)

be абра́злівы (causing offense) · nl beledigend (causing offense) · fr offensif (team sports: having to do with play directed at scoring) · pl obraźliwy (causing offense) · mi weriweri (causing offense) · ja 気に障る (causing offense) · es ofensivo (causing offense) · sv stötande (causing offense) · ja 攻撃側の (team sports: having to do with play directed at scoring) · fr offensif (relating to attack, offense) · la taeter (causing offense) · ast ofensible (causing offense) · gl ofensivo (causing offense) · cmn 冒犯的 (causing offense) · hu támadó (relating to attack, offense) · ja 攻撃的な (causing offense) · nb offensiv (team sports: having to do with play directed at scoring) · pt ofensivo (relating to attack, offense) · bg оби́ден (causing offense) · az təhqiredici (causing offense) · fi hyökkäävä (causing offense) · fi hyökkäävä (team sports: having to do with play directed at scoring) · sh уврѐдљив (causing offense) · tr ofansif (team sports: having to do with play directed at scoring) · gd oilbheumach (causing offense) · sh uvrèdljiv (causing offense) · cmn 有攻擊性 /有攻击性 (causing offense) · da offensiv (team sports: having to do with play directed at scoring) · bg нападателен (relating to attack, offense) · sv offensiv (team sports: having to do with play directed at scoring) · es ofensiva (relating to attack, offense) · tr incitici (causing offense) · ru оби́дный (causing offense) · io ofensiva (causing offense) · mi harehare (causing offense) · ja 侮辱的な (causing offense) · pt ofensivo (causing offense) · la offensus (causing offense) · fi hyökkäys- (relating to attack, offense) · da offensiv (relating to attack, offense) · mi pūraurau (causing offense) · es ofensivo (team sports: having to do with play directed at scoring) · mi mōrikarika (causing offense) · oc ofensiu (relating to attack, offense) · mi harehare (causing offense) · eo ofenda (causing offense) · bg нападателен (team sports: having to do with play directed at scoring) · el προσβλητικός (causing offense) · nl offensief (team sports: having to do with play directed at scoring) · yi אָפֿענסיוו (relating to attack, offense) · nn offensiv (relating to attack, offense) · ru оскорби́тельный (causing offense) · gl ofensivo (relating to attack, offense) · az incidici (causing offense) · id menyinggung (causing offense) · da anstødelig (causing offense) · da stødende (causing offense) · gl ofensivo (team sports: having to do with play directed at scoring) · mi koeo (causing offense) · it offensivo (team sports: having to do with play directed at scoring) · tr kırıcı (causing offense) · nl weerzinwekkend (causing offense) · bg оскърби́телен (causing offense) · pdt prost (causing offense) · az təhqiramiz (causing offense) · nn offensiv (team sports: having to do with play directed at scoring) · de offensiv (team sports: having to do with play directed at scoring) · be наступа́льны (relating to attack, offense) · tr ofansif (causing offense) · io ofensema (causing offense) · nl aanvallend (team sports: having to do with play directed at scoring) · nl walgelijk (causing offense) · hu sértő (causing offense) · hu bántó (causing offense) · az alçaldıcı (causing offense) · el επιθετικός (relating to attack, offense) · oc ofensiu (team sports: having to do with play directed at scoring) · uk наступа́льний (relating to attack, offense) · hi अपकारी (causing offense) · tl nakasasakit (causing offense) · io desagreabla (causing offense) · ro ofensant (causing offense) · de beleidigend (causing offense) · id tidak sopan (causing offense) · hu durva (causing offense) · vi xúc phạm (causing offense) · mi mōrihariha (causing offense) · mi mataharehare (causing offense) · fi päällekäyvä (causing offense) · tr saldırgan (causing offense) · la repudiōsus (causing offense) · nb offensiv (relating to attack, offense) · tl opensibo (causing offense) · ca ofensiu (causing offense) · hu goromba (causing offense) · nl offensief (relating to attack, offense) · fi loukkaava (hurtful) (causing offense) · mk навредлив (causing offense) · oc ofensant (causing offense) · fi hyökkäys- (team sports: having to do with play directed at scoring) · uk обра́зливий (causing offense) · mi penopeno (causing offense) · pl ofensywny (relating to attack, offense) · vi sỉ nhục (causing offense) · cs urážlivý (causing offense) · mi taratara (causing offense) · ru наступа́тельный (team sports: having to do with play directed at scoring) · sv offensiv (relating to attack, offense) · el επιθετικός (team sports: having to do with play directed at scoring) · fr offensant (causing offense) · hy վիրավորական (causing offense) · io ofensanta (causing offense) · sv anstötlig (causing offense) · mi hākiki (causing offense) · eo ofensiva (relating to attack, offense) · hi अपकारी (relating to attack, offense) · pt ofensivo (team sports: having to do with play directed at scoring) · ru наступа́тельный (relating to attack, offense) · cmn 進攻性的 /进攻性的 (team sports: having to do with play directed at scoring)

offensive en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ˈɑˌfɛnsɪv/ (cot-caught-merger)
• /ˈɔˌfɛnsɪv/ (US)
• (US) audio
• /əˈfɛnsɪv/
• /əˈfɪ̟nsɪv/ (pin-pen-merger)

Etymology

From Middle French offensif, from offendre + -if by analogy with défensif. Offendre is from Latin offendere (“to offend”); see offend.

Meanings

1. (countable) An attack.
   • By the summer of 1939, a stringent military blockade had been imposed on the Shen-Kan-Ning. In the winter of 1939–1940, the Nationalists launched an offensive against the outskirts of the Border Region. Thereafter, blockhouses were erected, 200,000 KMT troops were stationed around the Shen-Kan-Ning, and all economic aid to the Communists was suspended. 1971, Kenneth E. Shewmaker, “Closing the Door: 1939”, in Americans and Chinese Communists, 1927–1945: A Persuading Encounter, Cornell University Press, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 111:
   • 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. 1939 January, Lin Yu, “The "China Incident"”, in Philippine Magazine, volume XXXVI, number 1, →OCLC, page 121:
   • Israel has launched a major aerial and ground offensive into the occupied West Bank city of Jenin, its biggest military operation in the Palestinian territory in years, in what it described as an “extensive counter-terrorism effort”. 2023 July 3, Bethan McKernan, Peter Beaumont, “Israel attacks Jenin in biggest West Bank incursion in 20 years”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:
   • The Marines today launched a major offensive.
2. (uncountable) The posture of attacking or being able to attack.
   • He took the offensive in the press, accusing his opponent of corruption.

Forms

Deriveds

charm offensive · counter-offensive · prawn cocktail offensive · take the offensive

Translations (104)

cs napadení (an attack) · lv ofensīva (an attack) · hu offenzíva (an attack) · uk ата́ка (an attack) · ig offensive (an attack) · it offensiva (posture of attack) · be на́ступ (an attack) · ur حملہ (an attack) · fa هجوم (an attack) · sh nápad (an attack) · sh ofenzíva (an attack) · fr offensive (an attack) · cs ofenzíva (an attack) · kk шабуыл (an attack) · nb offensiv (an attack) · ru ата́ка (an attack) · ja 攻撃 (an attack) · nl aanval (an attack) · uz hujum (an attack) · es ofensiva (an attack) · tg ҳамла (an attack) · cs útok (an attack) · ps حمله (an attack) · ro ofensivă (posture of attack) · hu támadás (an attack) · ug ھۇجۇم (an attack) · de Angriff (an attack) · ms ofensif (an attack) · sq ofensivë (an attack) · pt ofensiva (an attack) · nl inval (an attack) · tr hamle (an attack) · mn дайралт (an attack) · sl ofenziva (an attack) · oc ofensiva (posture of attack) · tt һөҗүм (an attack) · ko 공격 (an attack) · ro ofensivă (an attack) · lt ofenzyva (an attack) · fr offensive (posture of attack) · lt puolimas (an attack) · ps هجوم (an attack) · hi आक्रमण (an attack) · sv offensiv (an attack) · da offensiv (an attack) · cmn 進攻 /进攻 (an attack) · ro atac (an attack) · tr saldırı (an attack) · ka იერიში (an attack) · sq sulm (an attack) · ba һөжүм (an attack) · ky чабуул (an attack) · hy գրոհ (an attack) · sh офанзи́ва (an attack) · hy հարձակում (an attack) · mk напад (an attack) · vi sự tấn công (an attack) · fi hyökkäyskannalla (posture of attack) · az həmlə (an attack) · ar حَمْلَة (an attack) · ml ആക്രമണം (an attack) · sk útok (an attack) · be ата́ка (an attack) · bg ата́ка (an attack) · ja 攻勢 (an attack) · fi offensiivi (an attack) · sk napadnutie (an attack) · et ofensiiv (an attack) · he הַתְקָפָה (an attack) · sh офензи́ва (an attack) · pl atak (an attack) · sh на́пад (an attack) · ko 공세 (an attack) · uz hamla (an attack) · tg ҳуҷум (an attack) · pl ofensywa (an attack) · tr hücum (an attack) · eo ofensivo (an attack) · et pealetung (an attack) · sh ofanzíva (an attack) · oc ofensiva (an attack) · ar هَجْمَة (an attack) · af offensief (an attack) · cmn 攻勢 /攻势 (an attack) · nl offensief (an attack) · tk hüjüm (an attack) · ru наступле́ние (an attack) · ar هُجُوم (an attack) · sk ofenzíva (an attack) · th การโจมตี (an attack) · hi हमला (an attack) · sl napad (an attack) · fi hyökkäys (an attack) · ka შეტევა (an attack) · lv uzbrukums (an attack) · fa حمله (an attack) · de Offensive (an attack) · az hücum (an attack) · uk на́ступ (an attack) · mk офанзи́ва (an attack) · bg настъпле́ние (an attack) · pt ofensiva (posture of attack) · nn offensiv (an attack) · uk офензи́ва (an attack)