English

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Etymology

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From offensive +‎ -ness.

Pronunciation

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  • Audio (US):(file)

Noun

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offensiveness (countable and uncountable, plural offensivenesses)

  1. The quality of being offensive.
    • 2011 September 21, Erica Ho, “Poll Finds Young People Aren’t Bothered by Slurs Used Online”, in Time[1]:
      Some slurs like “slut” and “retard” vary in their perceived offensiveness to those polled, but also include some incredibly offensive words like the “N-word.”