defensive

adjective de·fen·sive \ di-ˈfen(t)-siv , ˈdē-ˌ \

Updated on: 11 Apr 2018

Definition of defensive

1 : serving to defend or protect

defensive fortifications

2 a : devoted to resisting or preventing aggression or attack

defensive behavior

He became defensive when I brought up his spending habits.

b sports : of or relating to the attempt to keep an opponent from scoring in a game or contest

a player with good defensive skills

made a brilliant defensive play

3 card games

a : valuable in defensive play

a defensive card in bridge

b : designed to keep an opponent from being the highest bidder

a defensive bid

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defensively

adverb

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defensiveness

noun

See defensive defined for English-language learners

See defensive defined for kids

Examples of defensive in a Sentence

The city began building a defensive wall around its borders.
The government decided to join a defensive alliance with several other nations.
I was surprised by his defensive reaction to my suggestion.
There's no need to get so defensive. I was only making a suggestion.
When we asked her about the mistakes, she became defensive.
The coach has a strong defensive strategy.

Recent Examples of defensive from the Web

Thomas, the brother of former star defensive lineman Lawrence, has drawn good reviews from coaches.

— chris solari, Detroit Free Press, "Michigan State football: Spartans' spring game scouting report," 6 Apr. 2018
Oliver is the older brother of All-American defensive lineman Ed Oliver, the Outland Trophy winner and one of the top prospects in the 2019 NFL draft.

— aaron wilson, Houston Chronicle, "UH lineman Marcus Oliver to attend Texans' local workout," 5 Apr. 2018
Florida Atlantic defensive lineman Steven Leggett at times can be a man of few words.

— shandel richardson, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Return of 10 starters has Florida Atlantic thinking it can be top defense in Conference USA," 5 Apr. 2018
Players sitting out with injuries include tight end Noah Togiai, safeties David Morris and Omar Hicks-Onu, cornerbacks Jay Irvine and Jaydon Grant, offensive tackle Justin Sattelmaier and defensive lineman Chris Mengis.

— danny moran, OregonLive.com, "Christian Wallace moves to running back: Oregon State Beavers spring football practice notes," 4 Apr. 2018
That’s likely to be Donald, the best defensive lineman in football.

— peter king, SI.com, "Brandin Cooks Trade: The Domino Effect on the Rams, Patriots, Giants, 2018 Draft," 4 Apr. 2018
The Cardinals' four exclusive rights free agents signed their one-year deals: cornerback C.J. Goodwin, running back Elijhaa Penny, defensive lineman Olsen Pierre and offensive lineman John Wetzel.

— kent somers, azcentral, "Arizona Cardinals sign four exclusive rights free agents," 3 Apr. 2018
Offensive lineman Jackson Carman went south to Clemson in January, while defensive lineman Malik Vann began getting into college shape after the first of the year with Coach Luke Fickell's Cincinnati Bearcats.

— scott springer, Cincinnati.com, "Fairfield grad Malik Vann chiseled into a man with University of Cincinnati football," 2 Apr. 2018
Outside of identifying new playmakers, defensive lineman Brendon Hayes said his group is continuing to adjust to the subtle changes in alignments, points of emphasis and style of play on its new mixed front.

— shannon green, OrlandoSentinel.com, "UCF coach Josh Heupel dials up the tempo during Knights' first scrimmage," 2 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'defensive.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of defensive

Middle English defensif, borrowed from Anglo-French, borrowed from Medieval Latin dēfensīvus, from Latin dēfensus, past participle of dēfendere "to ward off, defend" + -īvus -ive

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First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

defensive Synonyms

defensive

noun

Definition of defensive

: a position serving to protect or defend : a defensive position

— on the defensive

: in the state or condition of being prepared or required to defend against attack or criticism

keeping his political opponent on the defensive

See defensive defined for English-language learners

Examples of defensive in a Sentence

their unexpectedly harsh words put him on the defensive

Recent Examples of defensive from the Web

The unnecessary economic losses from the city’s shutdown were huge, putting meteorologists on the defensive.

— jeff halverson, Washington Post, "Why weather forecasters still struggle to get the big storms right," 6 Apr. 2018
Facebook is on the defensive after revelations that private information from about 50 million users wound up in the hands of political ad-data firm Cambridge Analytica without their consent.

— Fortune, "Facebook Scans the Photos, Links and Some of the Conversations You Send on Messenger," 5 Apr. 2018
The revelation came as the UK government was already on the defensive on the issue.

— CNN, "UK government deletes tweet about Russian spy's poisoning," 4 Apr. 2018
Facebook is on the defensive after revelations that private information from about 50 million users wound up in the hands of political ad-data firm Cambridge Analytica without their consent.

— bloomberg, latimes.com, "Facebook scans the text and images you send on its Messenger app," 4 Apr. 2018
Facebook has been on the defensive since the Cambridge revelations.

— chicagotribune.com, "Facebook admits there were more Russian accounts than previously acknowledged," 4 Apr. 2018
Markets on the defensive, Amazon under pressure, and Elon Musk jokes about bankruptcy.

— Bloomberg.com, "Five Things You Need to Know to Start Your Day," 2 Apr. 2018
Since then, as a result of a variety of new findings, the hypothesis has gained so much support that its critics may now be said to be on the defensive.

— daniel c. schlenoff, Scientific American, "Industrial Steel Method from 1968; Industrial Candy in 1868," 1 Apr. 2018
Statistically, the Cavaliers have been worse this season with Thompson on the floor, having a 114.8 defensive of rating compared to the 111.2 with him off the floor.

— dennis manoloff, cleveland.com, "NBA dunks, other highlights from Friday March 30 (video)," 31 Mar. 2018

Origin and Etymology of defensive

Middle English defensif "something acting as protection," borrowed from Medieval Latin dēfensīvum, noun derivative from neuter of dēfensīvus ¹defensive

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: circa 1585

See Words from the same year

defensive Synonyms

Synonyms

guard;

Antonyms

offensive;

Related Words

alert, lookout, qui vive, watch;

DEFENSIVE Defined for English Language Learners

defensive

adjective

Definition of defensive for English Language Learners

: defending or protecting someone or something from attack : helping to keep a person or thing safe
: behaving in a way that shows that you feel people are criticizing you
sports : of or relating to the way that players try to stop an opponent from scoring in a game or contest

DEFENSIVE Defined for Kids

defensive

adjective de·fen·sive \ di-ˈfen-siv \

Definition of defensive for Students

1 : serving or meant to defend or protect

a defensive structure

2 : relating to the attempt to keep an opponent from scoring

a defensive play

3 : showing a dislike for criticism

She got defensive about my suggestion.

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defensively

adverb

defensive

noun

Definition of defensive for Students

: a position or attitude that is meant to defend

The criticism put him on the defensive.

Medical Dictionary

defensive

adjective de·fen·sive \ di-ˈfen(t)-siv , ˈdē-ˌ \

medical Definition of defensive

1 : serving to defend or protect (as the ego)

face-saving is a common defensive reaction
—Psychology Today

2 : devoted to resisting or preventing aggression or attack

defensive behavior

—

defensively

adverb

—

defensiveness

noun

Law Dictionary

defensive

adjective de·fen·sive

legal Definition of defensive

1 : serving to defend or as part of a defense

a defensive pleading

2 : devoted to resisting or preventing aggressive actions

a defensive recapitalization…to escape a takeover attempt
—Barbara Franklin

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defensively

adverb

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defensive

Definition of defensive

defensively

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Origin and Etymology of defensive

defensive Synonyms

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defensive

Definition of defensive

Examples of defensive in a Sentence

Recent Examples of defensive from the Web

Origin and Etymology of defensive

defensive Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Related Words

DEFENSIVE Defined for English Language Learners

defensive

Definition of defensive for English Language Learners

DEFENSIVE Defined for Kids

defensive

Definition of defensive for Students

defensively

defensive

Definition of defensive for Students

Medical Dictionary

defensive

medical Definition of defensive

defensively

defensiveness

Law Dictionary

defensive

legal Definition of defensive

defensively

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