1
as in disgusting
causing intense displeasure, disgust, or resentment
I find your disrespectful attitude toward religion very offensive the smell of rotting food is quite offensive
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in obnoxious
provoking or likely to provoke protest
insensitive, offensive remarks about the plight of the homeless
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in attack
the act or action of setting upon with force or violence
the primary offensive by the ground forces will commence at dawn tomorrow
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of offensive
Debra Utacia Krol, The Arizona Republic, 20 Dec. 2024
The Chargers, who turned the ball over on a Justin Herbert interception on their previous offensive drive, initially ran the offense onto the field to possibly throw a Hail Mary.
—Thuc Nhi Nguyen, Los Angeles Times, 20 Dec. 2024
Sefa Secen / Made By History, TIME, 17 Dec. 2024
More than 44,500 Palestinians have been killed and more than 105,000 wounded by Israel’s bombardment and ground offensives, launched in retaliation for the Hamas militant group’s Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel that killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians.
—Wafaa Shurafa and Fatma Khaled, Los Angeles Times, 14 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for offensive 
Adjective
Haaland also created a task force to eliminate offensive geographic names.
—Debra Utacia Krol, The Arizona Republic, 20 Dec. 2024
The Chargers, who turned the ball over on a Justin Herbert interception on their previous offensive drive, initially ran the offense onto the field to possibly throw a Hail Mary.
—Thuc Nhi Nguyen, Los Angeles Times, 20 Dec. 2024
Noun
Yet, in November, after four years of relative stalemate, opposition groups launched a surprise offensive as Assad’s three key allies — Russia, Iran, and Hezbollah — were stretched thin with other conflicts.
—Sefa Secen / Made By History, TIME, 17 Dec. 2024
More than 44,500 Palestinians have been killed and more than 105,000 wounded by Israel’s bombardment and ground offensives, launched in retaliation for the Hamas militant group’s Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel that killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians.
—Wafaa Shurafa and Fatma Khaled, Los Angeles Times, 14 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for offensive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for offensive
Adjective
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Most modern bloodsuckers are not this profoundly physically disgusting.Matt Zoller Seitz, Vulture, 25 Dec. 2024
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Jones had used Infowars to spread some of the most disturbing and disgusting lies and conspiracy theories into the public discourse.Hadas Gold, CNN, 11 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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There were a lot of people who had come to Newport just to hear Bob Dylan, the friend of the Beatles, play ‘Like a Rolling Stone’ and who were being really obnoxious about the other acts.Chris Willman, Variety, 26 Dec. 2024
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The wallflower being bullied by the obnoxious rapper has a callous side.Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 26 Dec. 2024
Noun
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No suspects have been arrested or identified, and investigators were unsure whether the attack was random or targeted because the victims were American.Joseph Wilkinson, New York Daily News, 31 Dec. 2024
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There are about 15 of them left now — survivors of the Pearl Harbor attack.Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 31 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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The final against Colombia pitted the top two teams of the tournament, but the match was marred by ugly scenes outside the Hard Rock Stadium gates hours before kickoff.Felipe Cardenas, The Athletic, 28 Dec. 2024
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The 1935 to 1936 robust rally was followed by an ugly 39% decline in 1937.Bill Stone, Forbes, 28 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Drivers overwhelmingly perceive drunk driving as dangerous (95%) and socially unacceptable.Tanya Mohn, Forbes, 31 Dec. 2024
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Although party representatives are meant to cede responsibility to the military brass during conflicts, their prominence could complicate the use of AI tools, especially if those technologies recommend politically risky or otherwise unacceptable operations.Sam Bresnick, Foreign Affairs, 31 Dec. 2024
Noun
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The raid drove polygamy in fundamentalist Mormon communities further underground and allowed people like Warren Jeffs to rally followers by using their fear of the government.Jeremy Duda, Axios, 18 Dec. 2024
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The recent raid of a woman’s Tennessee home, where more than 300 vials fake weight loss drugs were found, sheds light on a growing concern across the country as the black market for such medicines explodes.Elizabeth Robinson, NBC News, 18 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Her awful journey is a raging scream against the patriarchy and a biting critique of how women are viewed, especially by other women.The Week US, theweek, 17 Dec. 2024
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Murray’s magic trick Murray’s uncanny ability to transform awful individual performances into timely heat checks and cold-blooded game-winners is one of life’s great mysteries.Bennett Durando, The Denver Post, 17 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Think grindhouse listed on Zillow — a self-contradictory trend that sees disturbing and even outright objectionable material presented with a faux polish that can feel like biting into plastic fruit.Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 27 Dec. 2024
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While objectionable levels of risk have accrued in the past, the housing finance system has operated much more soundly in recent years.Doug Criscitello, Forbes, 20 Nov. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near offensive
Cite this Entry
“Offensive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/offensive. Accessed 5 Jan. 2025.
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