offensive

English edit

English Wikipedia has an article on:

offensive

Alternative forms edit

offencive (obsolete)

Etymology edit

From Middle French offensif, from offendre + -if by analogy with défensif. Offendre is from Latin offendere (“to offend”); see offend.

Pronunciation edit

IPA^(key): /əˈfɛnsɪv/
Audio (US) (file)
(sports): (US) IPA^(key): /ˈɔˌfɛnsɪv/

Adjective edit

offensive (comparative more offensive, superlative most offensive)

Causing offense; arousing a visceral reaction of disgust, anger, hatred, sadness, or indignation.
Antonym: inoffensive

Some people find pornography offensive.

An offensive smell.
- 2016 September 12, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, “Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: Political Incorrectness Is Just a Strategy”, in Time‎^[1]:
  A survey at Yale University had 63% of students wanting professors to issue “trigger warnings” before saying anything that some might find offensive or could cause painful emotions.
Relating to an offense or attack, as opposed to defensive.
Antonym: defensive

The army's offensive capabilities. An offensive weapon.
- 2013 June 7, Ed Pilkington, “‘Killer robots’ should be banned in advance, UN told”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 188, number 26, page 6:
  In his submission to the UN, [Christof] Heyns points to the experience of drones. Unmanned aerial vehicles were intended initially only for surveillance, and their use for offensive purposes was prohibited, yet once strategists realised their perceived advantages as a means of carrying out targeted killings, all objections were swept out of the way.
(sports) Having to do with play directed at scoring.
The offensive coordinator is responsible for ordering all rushing plays.

Synonyms edit

aggressive
invidious (Intending to cause envious offense)

Derived terms edit

Related terms edit

Collocations edit

with nouns

offensive content
offensive language
offensive material
offensive word
offensive comment
offensive remark
offensive statement
offensive speech
offensive joke
offensive humor
offensive image
offensive picture
offensive art
offensive behavior
offensive conduct
offensive act
offensive action

Translations edit

causing offense

Armenian: վիրավորական (hy) (viravorakan)
Belarusian: абра́злівы (abrázlivy)
Bulgarian: оскърби́телен (bg) (oskǎrbítelen), оби́ден (bg) (obíden)
Catalan: ofensiu (ca)
Chinese:
Mandarin: 有攻擊性／有攻击性 (zh) (yǒugōngjīxìng), 冒犯的 (zh) (màofàn de)
Czech: urážlivý (cs)
Danish: stødende, anstødelig
Dutch: beledigend (nl), weerzinwekkend (nl), walgelijk (nl)
Esperanto: ofenda
Finnish: hyökkäävä (fi), päällekäyvä, loukkaava (fi) (hurtful)
French: offensant (fr)
Galician: ofensivo
Georgian: please add this translation if you can
German: beleidigend (de)
Greek: προσβλητικός (el) (prosvlitikós)
Hungarian: sértő (hu), bántó (hu), goromba (hu), durva (hu)
Ido: ofensanta (io), ofensiva (io), ofensema (io), desagreabla (io)
Indonesian: menyinggung (id), tidak sopan
Japanese: 攻撃的な (ja) (kōgekiteki na), 気に障る (ja) (ki ni sawaru), 侮辱的な (ja) (ぶじょくてきな, bujokuteki na)
Khmer: please add this translation if you can
Latin: taeter, offensus, repudiōsus
Macedonian: навредлив (navredliv)
Maori: weriweri, hākiki, mataharehare, koeo (of an odour), pūraurau (of speech), taratara, harehare (by saying things), penopeno (of odour), harehare, mōrihariha, mōrikarika
Mongolian: please add this translation if you can
Occitan: ofensant
Plautdietsch: prost
Polish: obraźliwy (pl)
Portuguese: ofensivo (pt)
Romanian: ofensant (ro)
Russian: оскорби́тельный (ru) (oskorbítelʹnyj), оби́дный (ru) (obídnyj)
Scottish Gaelic: oilbheumach
Serbo-Croatian:
Cyrillic: уврѐдљив

Roman: uvrèdljiv (sh)
Slovene: please add this translation if you can
Spanish: ofensivo (es)
Swedish: stötande (sv), anstötlig (sv)
Thai: please add this translation if you can
Turkish: please add this translation if you can
Ukrainian: обра́зливий (obrázlyvyj)
Vietnamese: xúc phạm (vi), sỉ nhục (vi)

relating to attack, offense

Belarusian: наступа́льны (nastupálʹny)
Bulgarian: нападателен (bg) (napadatelen)
Danish: offensiv
Dutch: offensief (nl)
Esperanto: ofensiva (eo)
French: offensif (fr)
Galician: ofensivo
Greek: επιθετικός (el) (epithetikós)
Hungarian: támadó (hu)
Norwegian:
Bokmål: offensiv

Nynorsk: offensiv
Occitan: ofensiu (oc)
Polish: ofensywny (pl)
Portuguese: ofensivo (pt)
Russian: наступа́тельный (ru) (nastupátelʹnyj)
Spanish: ofensiva (es) f
Swedish: offensiv (sv)
Ukrainian: наступа́льний (nastupálʹnyj)

team sports: having to do with play directed at scoring

Bulgarian: нападателен (bg) (napadatelen)
Chinese:
Mandarin: 進攻性的／进攻性的 (jìngōngxìng de)
Danish: offensiv
Dutch: aanvallend (nl), offensief (nl)
Finnish: hyökkäävä (fi), hyökkäys-
French: offensif (fr)
Galician: ofensivo
German: offensiv (de)
Italian: offensivo (it)
Japanese: 攻撃側の (kōgekigawa no)
Norwegian:
Bokmål: offensiv

Nynorsk: offensiv
Occitan: ofensiu (oc)
Portuguese: ofensivo (pt)
Russian: наступа́тельный (ru) (nastupátelʹnyj)
Spanish: ofensivo (es)
Swedish: offensiv (sv)

Noun edit

offensive (countable and uncountable, plural offensives)

(countable, military) An attack.
The Marines today launched a major offensive.
- 1939 January, Lin Yu, “The "China Incident"”, in Philippine Magazine‎^[2], volume XXXVI, number 1, →OCLC, page 121:
  In Central Hupeh, the Japanese launched another offensive from the Kingshan region, but instead of moving southwestward to cooperate with another column of theirs to capture Shasi, this column swerved to the northwest and succeeded in capturing Chunghsiang on the Han River.
(uncountable) The posture of attacking or being able to attack.
He took the offensive in the press, accusing his opponent of corruption.

Derived terms edit

Translations edit

an attack

Albanian: ofensivë (sq) f, sulm (sq) m
Arabic: هُجُوم m (hujūm), حَمْلَة f (ḥamla), هَجْمَة f (hajma)
Armenian: գրոհ (hy) (groh), հարձակում (hy) (harjakum)
Azerbaijani: hücum (az), həmlə
Bashkir: һөжүм (höjüm)
Belarusian: на́ступ m (nástup), ата́ка f (atáka)
Bulgarian: ата́ка (bg) f (atáka), настъпле́ние (bg) n (nastǎplénie)
Chinese:
Mandarin: 進攻／进攻 (zh) (jìngōng), 攻勢／攻势 (zh) (gōngshì)
Czech: ofenzíva f, útok (cs) m, napadení n
Danish: offensiv c
Dutch: offensief (nl) n, aanval (nl) m, inval (nl) m
Esperanto: ofensivo
Estonian: pealetung, ofensiiv
Finnish: hyökkäys (fi), offensiivi (fi)
French: offensive (fr) f
Georgian: შეტევა (šeṭeva), იერიში (ka) (ieriši)
German: Offensive (de) f, Angriff (de) m
Hebrew: הַתְקָפָה f (hatkafá)
Hindi: हमला (hi) m (hamlā), आक्रमण (hi) m (ākramaṇ)
Hungarian: támadás (hu), offenzíva (hu)
Igbo: offensive
Japanese: 攻撃 (ja) (こうげき, kōgeki), 攻勢 (ja) (こうせい, kōsei)
Kazakh: шабуыл (şabuyl)
Korean: 공격(攻擊) (ko) (gonggyeok), 공세(攻勢) (ko) (gongse)
Kyrgyz: чабуул (ky) (cabuul)
Latvian: ofensīva f, uzbrukums m
Lithuanian: ofenzyva f, puolimas m
Macedonian: офанзи́ва f (ofanzíva), напад m (napad)
Malay: ofensif
Malayalam: ആക്രമണം (ml) (ākramaṇaṁ)
Mongolian:
Cyrillic: дайралт (mn) (dajralt)
Norwegian:
Bokmål: offensiv m

Nynorsk: offensiv m
Occitan: ofensiva (oc)
Pashto: حمله (ps) f (hamla), هجوم m (hojum)
Persian: هجوم (fa) (hojum), حمله (fa) (hamle)
Polish: ofensywa (pl) f, atak (pl) m
Portuguese: ofensiva (pt) f
Romanian: ofensivă (ro) f, atac (ro) n
Russian: наступле́ние (ru) n (nastuplénije), ата́ка (ru) f (atáka)
Serbo-Croatian:
Cyrillic: офензи́ва f, офанзи́ва f, на́пад m

Roman: ofenzíva (sh) f, ofanzíva (sh) f, nápad (sh) m
Slovak: ofenzíva f, útok m, napadnutie n
Slovene: ofenziva f, napad (sl) m
Spanish: ofensiva (es) f
Swedish: offensiv (sv) c
Tajik: ҳуҷум (hujum), ҳамла (hamla)
Tatar: һөҗүм (tt) (höcüm)
Thai: การโจมตี (th) (gaan-joom-dtii)
Turkish: saldırı (tr), hücum (tr), hamle (tr)
Turkmen: hüjüm
Ukrainian: на́ступ m (nástup), ата́ка (uk) f (atáka), офензи́ва (uk) f (ofenzýva)
Urdu: حملہ m (hamlā)
Uyghur: ھۇجۇم (hujum)
Uzbek: hujum (uz), hamla (uz)
Vietnamese: sự tấn công (vi)

posture of attack

Dutch: ^{(please verify)} klaar om aan te vallen
Finnish: hyökkäyskannalla (adverb)
French: offensive (fr) f
Italian: offensiva (it) f
Occitan: ofensiva (oc)
Portuguese: ofensiva (pt) f
Romanian: ofensivă (ro) f

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked