offensive

offensive — adjective

1. saying or showing something rude that hurts a person's feelings or shows no resp

1.adjectiveB2
Definition

saying or showing something rude that hurts a person's feelings or shows no respect for who they are or what they believe.

Example

Many viewers found the comedian's joke about disabled people deeply offensive.

find + something + offensive

The poster outside the cafe was offensive to women, so the owner took it down.

offensive to + group

Common collocations
  • deeply offensive
  • highly offensive
  • racially offensive
  • find something offensive
  • offensive language
  • offensive joke
  • offensive remark
Synonyms
  • insulting

    stronger; suggests a clear personal attack on someone

  • rude

    milder and more everyday; can apply to bad manners, not only hurtful speech

  • disrespectful

    focuses on lack of respect rather than on hurt feelings

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

offensive to + person/group

find something offensive

Usage Note

Often used after the verbs 'find', 'consider', or 'be', and frequently followed by 'to' + the person or group hurt by the words. Distinguish from sense 2: this sense is about words, jokes, images, or behaviour aimed at people; sense 2 covers smells, tastes, or sights that disgust the body.

Common Mistakes

The joke was offensive for women.
The joke was offensive to women.
use 'to', not 'for', when naming the people who feel hurt.

2. very unpleasant to the senses, especially a smell, taste, or sight that makes pe

2.adjectiveB2
Definition

very unpleasant to the senses, especially a smell, taste, or sight that makes people want to turn away.

Example

An offensive smell drifted out of the rubbish bin behind the kitchen.

collocation: offensive smell

The old fish in the fridge gave off an offensive odour.

Common collocations
  • offensive smell
  • offensive odour
  • offensive taste
  • offensive fumes
Synonyms
  • disgusting

    stronger; a much more everyday word than 'offensive' for bad smells

  • foul

    common with smells and tastes; slightly more dramatic

  • nasty

    informal; broader, can describe many unpleasant things

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

offensive smell/taste/sight

Usage Note

Most often pairs with 'smell', 'odour', 'taste', or 'fumes'. Distinguish from sense 1: here the trigger is a physical sensation, not words or behaviour aimed at a person.

3. made or used for striking at an enemy rather than for protecting yourself, espec

3.adjectiveC1
Definition

made or used for striking at an enemy rather than for protecting yourself, especially when talking about weapons or military plans.

Example

The treaty banned the country from building offensive nuclear weapons.

collocation: offensive weapon

The general drew up an offensive plan to retake the bridge by dawn.

Common collocations
  • offensive weapon
  • offensive operation
  • offensive strategy
  • offensive capability
  • offensive posture
Synonyms
  • aggressive

    broader; describes the style or attitude, not just the equipment

  • attacking

    more general; can describe people or movements as well as weapons

Antonyms
  • defensive

    made or used for protecting yourself

Grammar Patterns

offensive + weapon/operation/strategy

Usage Note

Almost always paired with words like 'weapon', 'operation', 'strategy', 'capability', or 'posture'. Often set against 'defensive' in the same sentence. Distinguish from sense 4: sense 3 is military or violent; sense 4 is about scoring in sport.

4. in a team sport, belonging to the side that has the ball and is trying to get po

4.adjectiveC1
Definition

in a team sport, belonging to the side that has the ball and is trying to get points or goals, rather than the side defending.

Example

The team's offensive line gave the quarterback enough time to throw.

collocation: offensive line (American football)

Coach Patel praised her squad's offensive play in the second half.

Common collocations
  • offensive line
  • offensive player
  • offensive play
  • offensive strategy
  • offensive coordinator
Synonyms
  • attacking

    more common in British football for the same idea

Antonyms
  • defensive

    the side trying to stop the other team scoring

Grammar Patterns

offensive + player/play/line

Usage Note

Common in American sports writing, especially American football and basketball. Distinguish from sense 3: sense 4 is about scoring in a game, not military attack.

offensive — noun

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All four words describe speech or behaviour that hurts other people, but they sit at different levels. 'Rude' is the most everyday and the mildest — a child interrupting an adult is rude, not offensive. 'Disrespectful' focuses on showing too little regard for someone's status, beliefs, or culture; it is more formal and often used in workplaces or schools. 'Offensive' is stronger: it suggests the words or images cross a line and could hurt a whole group of people, not just one listener. 'Insulting' is the most direct and personal — an insulting comment is clearly aimed at one person to make them feel small. Compare: 'Don't talk with your mouth full, it's rude'; 'It was disrespectful of him to leave during the speech'; 'Many readers found the cartoon offensive'; 'She told him his words were insulting and walked out.'

offensive ↗insultingrude ↗disrespectful ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • offensive language
  • offensive remark
  • offensive joke
  • offensive smell
  • offensive weapon
  • offensive operation
  • offensive line
  • offensive player

Adverbs

Phrases

  • find something offensive
  • consider something offensive
  • launch an offensive
  • go on the offensive
  • take the offensive

Prepositions

  • offensive to
  • offensive against

Etymology

LatinMedieval LatinMiddle FrenchEnglish

Borrowed into English in the early 1500s from Middle French 'offensif', which itself came from Medieval Latin 'offensivus'. The Latin root is the verb 'offendere', meaning to strike against or to displease, formed from 'ob-' (against) plus 'fendere' (to strike). The two main strands of the modern English word — 'attacking an enemy' and 'hurting someone's feelings' — both grow naturally out of this older idea of striking against something.