offensive
offensive
(əfensɪv )Word forms: plural offensives
1. adjective
Some friends of his found the play horribly offensive.
...offensive remarks which called into question the integrity of my firm.
offensively adverb [ADVERB after verb, oft ADVERB adjective]
The group who had been shouting offensively opened to let her through.
I thought his glance at me had been offensively bold.
2. countable noun
Its latest military offensive against rebel forces is aimed at re-opening important trade routes. [+ against]
The armed forces have launched offensives to recapture lost ground.
3. countable noun
If you conduct an offensive, you take strong action to show how angry you are about something or how much you disapprove of something.
Republicans acknowledged that they had little choice but to mount an all-out offensive on the Democratic nominee. [+ on]
...a diplomatic offensive.
4. See also charm offensive
5. adjective [usually ADJECTIVE noun]
In sports such as American football or basketball, the offensive team is the team which has possession of the ball and is trying to score.
[US]The worst-ever defeat of this team proved once again that Stanford can be one of the most explosive offensive teams in the country.
