English adjective: offensive | |||
1. | offensive violating or tending to violate or offend against | ||
Samples | Violative of the principles of liberty. Considered such depravity offensive against all laws of humanity. | ||
Synonyms | violative | ||
Similar | offending | ||
Antonyms | unoffending | ||
2. | offensive for the purpose of attack rather than defense | ||
Samples | Offensive weapons. | ||
Similar | antipersonnel, assaultive, attacking, hit-and-run, incursive, invading, invasive, marauding, on the offensive, predatory, raiding, tip-and-run | ||
See also | aggressive, hostile | ||
Antonyms | defensive | ||
3. | offensive causing anger or annoyance | ||
Samples | Offensive remarks. | ||
Similar | abusive, opprobrious, scurrilous | ||
See also | disrespectful, harmful | ||
Attribute | distastefulness, odiousness, offensiveness | ||
Antonyms | inoffensive, unoffending | ||
4. | offensive morally offensive | ||
Samples | An unsavory reputation. An unsavory scandal. | ||
Synonyms | unsavory, unsavoury | ||
Similar | odoriferous | ||
Antonyms | savory, savoury | ||
5. | offensive unpleasant or disgusting especially to the senses | ||
Samples | Offensive odors. | ||
Similar | abhorrent, charnel, creepy, detestable, disgustful, disgusting, distasteful, foul, ghastly, ghoulish, hideous, horrid, horrific, loathly, loathsome, morbid, objectionable, obnoxious, obscene, outrageous, rank, repellant, repellent, repelling, repugnant, repulsive, revolting, scrimy, sepulchral, skanky, verminous, wicked, yucky | ||
See also | evil, hateful, unpalatable, unpleasant | ||
Attribute | distastefulness, odiousness, offensiveness | ||
Antonyms | inoffensive | ||
6. | offensive substitute a harsher or distasteful term for a mild one | ||
Samples | `nigger' is a dysphemistic term for `African-American'. | ||
Synonyms | dysphemistic | ||
Antonyms | euphemistic, inoffensive | ||
7. | offensive causing or able to cause nausea | ||
Samples | A nauseating smell. Nauseous offal. A sickening stench. | ||
Synonyms | loathsome, nauseating, nauseous, noisome, queasy, sickening, vile | ||
Similar | unwholesome | ||
Antonyms | wholesome | ||
English noun: offensive | |||
1. | offensive (act) the action of attacking an enemy | ||
Synonyms | offence, offense | ||
Broader (hypernym) | military operation, operation | ||
Narrower (hyponym) | counteroffensive, dirty war, push back, rollback | ||