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# defensive

adjective (defensive, more defensive); noun (on the defensive)

«defensive» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. Defensive means used or made to protect against attack (a defensive wall). [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/defensive/#m1)
2. A defensive person reacts as if being criticised or attacked, and tries to protect themselves. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/defensive/#m2)
3. In sport, defensive means about stopping the other team from scoring. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/defensive/#m3)
4. Fighting on the defensive means only protecting yourself and not attacking. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/defensive/#m4)

### In the lessons

In history, castles had defensive walls and moats. In sport, defensive players protect their goal. In stories and feelings lessons, a defensive character gets upset when someone points out a mistake. In nature, animals have defensive features like spines and shells. Phrases: defensive player, defensive wall, on the defensive, get defensive.

### Examples

- The castle had thick defensive walls. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/defensive/#x1)
- The hedgehog's spines are a defensive feature. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/defensive/#x2)
- He gets defensive when you say his room is messy. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/defensive/#x3)
- She is a strong defensive player. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/defensive/#x4)
- The team was on the defensive for most of the game. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/defensive/#x5)
- Don't be defensive; I'm only trying to help. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/defensive/#x6)
- A porcupine has a defensive way of raising its quills. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/defensive/#x7)
- Man to man they were the stronger; but they fought on the defensive only, which enabled the boys to hunt in pairs and choose their quarry. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/defensive/#x8)

### Note

Comparison: more defensive. Spelt «defensive» with s (US «defense», UK «defence», but «defensive» everywhere). Verb: defend. Opposite: offensive, attacking.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «defensive» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/defensive/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«defensive» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/defensive.html) on Mova free.