offensive: Meaning and Definition of
of•fen•sive
Pronunciation: (u-fen'siv or, for 4, 5, ô'fen-, of'en-), [key]
— adj.
- causing resentful displeasure; highly irritating, angering, or annoying: offensive television commercials.
- unpleasant or disagreeable to the sense: an offensive odor.
- repugnant to the moral sense, good taste, or the like; insulting: an offensive remark; an offensive joke.
- pertaining to offense or attack: the offensive movements of their troops.
- characterized by attack; aggressive: offensive warfare.
—n.
- the position or attitude of aggression or attack: to take the offensive.
- an aggressive movement or attack: a carefully planned naval offensive.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.