offensive - Dictionary Definition : Vocabulary.com

Offensive describes rude or hurtful behavior, or a military or sports incursion into on opponent's territory. In any context, "on the offensive" means on the attack.

Although offense and defense are opposites, offensive and defensive aren't always. Defensive can mean anxiously challenging of all criticism. Offensive can mean not just attacking someone or something, but belching, insulting people, or otherwise not respecting common standards of behavior.

PRIMARY MEANINGS OF: offensive

1	adj	unpleasant or disgusting especially to the senses
2	adj	causing anger or annoyance
3	adj n	for the purpose of attack rather than defense the action of attacking an enemy

FULL DEFINITIONS OF: offensive

1

adj unpleasant or disgusting especially to the senses

“offensive odors”

Synonyms: evil
morally bad or wrong; hateful
evoking or deserving hatred; abhorrent, detestable, obscene, repugnant, repulsive
offensive to the mind; charnel, ghastly, sepulchral
gruesomely indicative of death or the dead; creepy
annoying and unpleasant; disgustful, disgusting, distasteful, foul, loathly, loathsome, repellant, repellent, repelling, revolting, skanky, wicked, yucky
highly offensive; arousing aversion or disgust; ghoulish, morbid
suggesting the horror of death and decay; hideous, horrid, horrific, outrageous
grossly offensive to decency or morality; causing horror; objectionable, obnoxious
causing disapproval or protest; rank
very offensive in smell or taste; scrimy
dirty and disgusting; verminous
of the nature of vermin; very offensive or repulsive; unpalatable
not pleasant or acceptable to the taste or mind; unpleasant
disagreeable to the senses, to the mind, or feelings

Antonyms:: inoffensive
giving no offense; innocuous, unobjectionable
not causing disapproval; show more antonyms...

adj causing or able to cause nausea

Synonyms:: loathsome, nauseating, nauseous, noisome, queasy, sickening, vile

: unwholesome
detrimental to physical or moral well-being

2

adj causing anger or annoyance

“offensive remarks”

Synonyms: harmful
causing or capable of causing harm; abusive, opprobrious, scurrilous
expressing offensive reproach; disrespectful
exhibiting lack of respect; rude and discourteous

Antonyms:: inoffensive, unoffending
not causing anger or annoyance; offenceless, offenseless
incapable of offending or attacking; show more antonyms...

adj substitute a harsher or distasteful term for a mild one

Synonyms:: dysphemistic

Antonyms:: euphemistic, inoffensive
substituting a mild term for a harsher or distasteful one

adj violating or tending to violate or offend against

“considered such depravity offensive against all laws of humanity”

Synonyms:: violative

: offending
offending against or breaking a law or rule

adj morally offensive

Synonyms:: unsavory, unsavoury

: odoriferous
morally offensive

Antonyms:: savory, savoury
morally wholesome or acceptable

3

adj for the purpose of attack rather than defense

“offensive weapons”

Synonyms: aggressive
having or showing determination and energetic pursuit of your ends; hostile
characterized by enmity or ill will; antipersonnel
designed to inflict death or personal injury rather than material destruction; assaultive, attacking
disposed to attack; hit-and-run, tip-and-run
designed for or consisting of a brief attack followed by a quick escape; incursive, invading, invasive
involving invasion or aggressive attack; marauding, predatory, raiding
characterized by plundering or pillaging or marauding; on the offensive
actively attacking

Antonyms:: defensive
intended or appropriate for defending against or deterring aggression or attack; antiaircraft
designed for defense from a surface position against air attack; antisubmarine
defensive against enemy submarines; antitank
designed for defense against armored vehicles; defending
attempting to or designed to prevent an opponent from winning or scoring; en garde
(fencing) in a defensive stance; protective
intended or adapted to afford protection of some kind; show more antonyms...

n the action of attacking an enemy

Synonyms:: offence, offense

Types:: counteroffensive
a large scale offensive (more than a counterattack) undertaken by a defending force to seize the initiative from an attacking force; dirty war
an offensive conducted by secret police or the military of a regime against revolutionary and terrorist insurgents and marked by the use of kidnapping and torture and murder with civilians often being the victims; push back, rollback
the act of forcing the enemy to withdraw

Type of:: military operation, operation
activity by a military or naval force (as a maneuver or campaign)