offensive

/ə'fensiv/

Thân thiện

The offensive smell from the garbage made her cover her nose.

Definition

1. Adjective:

   • Causing anger, annoyance, or resentment: Used to describe language, behavior, or actions that are insulting, disrespectful, or likely to upset someone.
   • Unpleasant or disgusting to the senses: Describing something that is physically repulsive, such as a bad smell, taste, or sight.
   • Morally offensive: Violating accepted standards of morality or decency; considered shocking or reprehensible.
   • Relating to or designed for attack: Used in a military or competitive context to describe actions, weapons, or strategies intended for attacking rather than defending.

2. Noun:

   • A military campaign or series of attacks: An organized, aggressive action or operation against an enemy.
   • The state or position of attacking: The initiative in an attack or conflict.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:

  • His offensive comments about her work upset the entire team.
  • An offensive odor was coming from the blocked drain.
  • The film was criticized for its offensive portrayal of the culture.
  • The general planned an offensive strategy to capture the city.

• Noun:

  • The army launched a major offensive at dawn.
  • After months of defense, our team finally took the offensive.

Advanced Usage

• "To be on the offensive": To be actively attacking or criticizing.

  • The politician was on the offensive during the debate, attacking his opponent's record.

• "To take the offensive": To initiate an attack or aggressive action.

  • In business, sometimes you must take the offensive to capture market share.

• "Offensive against": Used to specify the target of an attack.

  • The offensive against the rebel stronghold began yesterday.

Variants and Related Words

• Offensively (adverb): In an offensive manner.

  • He spoke offensively to the customer.

• Offensiveness (noun): The quality of being offensive.

  • The offensiveness of his joke was not appreciated.

• Counteroffensive (noun): An attack made in response to an enemy's offensive.

  • The general ordered a counteroffensive to push back the invaders.

Synonyms

• Adjective (Insulting): Insulting, derogatory, disrespectful, abusive.
• Adjective (Disgusting): Repulsive, revolting, nauseating, foul.
• Adjective (Aggressive): Attacking, aggressive, assaultive, invasive.
• Noun: Attack, assault, onslaught, incursion.

Related Phrasal Verbs / Constructions

• "Go on the offensive": To start attacking or behaving aggressively.
  • Facing criticism, the company went on the offensive with a new advertising campaign.

Related Idioms

• "The best defense is a good offense": Proverb meaning that being proactive and attacking a problem is often the most effective way to protect yourself.
  • Instead of just responding to rumors, they followed the principle that the best defense is a good offense and released their own statement first.

Học thuật

Adjective

1. causing or able to cause nausea
   • a nauseating smell
   • nauseous offal
   • a sickening stench
2. substitute a harsher or distasteful term for a mild one
   • `nigger' is a dysphemistic term for `African-American'
3. unpleasant or disgusting especially to the senses
   • offensive odors
4. morally offensive
   • an unsavory reputation
   • an unsavory scandal
5. causing anger or annoyance
   • offensive remarks
6. for the purpose of attack rather than defense
   • offensive weapons
7. violating or tending to violate or offend against
   • violative of the principles of liberty
   • considered such depravity offensive against all laws of humanity

Noun

1. the action of attacking an enemy

Từ đồng nghĩa

• nauseating
• nauseous
• noisome
• queasy
• loathsome
• sickening
• vile
• dysphemistic
• unsavory
• unsavoury
• violative
• offense
• offence