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# offensive

adjective (offensive words, more offensive); noun (an offensive, offensives)

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

## Everyday

1. Rude or insulting, likely to upset people. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/O/offensive/#m1)
2. Very unpleasant to the senses: an offensive smell. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/O/offensive/#m2)
3. (sport, US) To do with attacking and scoring, not defending: the offensive team. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/O/offensive/#m3)
4. (noun) A big attack in a war: launch an offensive. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/O/offensive/#m4)

### In the lessons

In everyday life and school rules, offensive language is not allowed. In sport, especially American football and basketball, offense and offensive players attack. In history, an offensive is a large attack by an army. Phrases: offensive language, go on the offensive, offensive line.

### Examples

- Using offensive words in class is not allowed. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/O/offensive/#x1)
- There was an offensive smell coming from the bin. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/O/offensive/#x2)
- That joke is offensive to many people. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/O/offensive/#x3)
- Our team's offensive play was brilliant. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/O/offensive/#x4)
- The army began a spring offensive. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/O/offensive/#x5)
- When she was blamed, she went on the offensive. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/O/offensive/#x6)
- And indeed Tink was darting about again, using offensive language. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/O/offensive/#x7)

### Note

Opposite in sport: defensive. Opposite in manners: polite, inoffensive. «Go on the offensive» means start attacking or arguing back. Linked to offend and offended; offended = how you feel, offensive = what caused it.

## On Mova

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