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
Relevance
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of offensive
Doug Padilla, Oc Register, 31 May 2025
The former UConn star point guard had grabbed an offensive rebound before driving to the basket with Vandersloot guarding her.
—Bruce Y. Lee, Forbes.com, 31 May 2025
Filip Timotija, The Hill, 27 May 2025
As Israel continues its latest offensive, negotiators between the Netanyahu government and Hamas were meeting in Qatar in hopes of ending the conflict.
—Editorial, Boston Herald, 26 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for offensive
Adjective
With 22 home runs and elite offensive production, all while Ohtani does everything necessary to become a pitcher again, his hard work is not lost on Roberts.
—Doug Padilla, Oc Register, 31 May 2025
The former UConn star point guard had grabbed an offensive rebound before driving to the basket with Vandersloot guarding her.
—Bruce Y. Lee, Forbes.com, 31 May 2025
Noun
Sumy Oblast borders Russia’s Kursk region, an area the Ukrainian military occupied parts of during last year’s offensive.
—Filip Timotija, The Hill, 27 May 2025
As Israel continues its latest offensive, negotiators between the Netanyahu government and Hamas were meeting in Qatar in hopes of ending the conflict.
—Editorial, Boston Herald, 26 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for offensive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for offensive
Adjective
-
Conrad wraps the conversation by being incredibly disgusting about Bella’s nether regions.—
Kimberly Roots,
TVLine,
1 June 2025
-
For the next 200 years, snails only appeared in Parisian cookbooks alongside an apology for including such a disgusting ingredient.—
Garritt C. Van Dyk,
Smithsonian Magazine,
29 May 2025
Adjective
-
Trump calls Bruce Springsteen 'obnoxious jerk' after singer voiced criticism at concert The moment ignited a back-and-forth between an icon of American rock and the president.—
Anna Kaufman,
USA Today,
22 May 2025
-
The actor has charm to spare, chemistry with leading lady Alexis Floyd and has given his alter ego a cocksure swagger that neatly straddles the line between confident and obnoxious.—
Charlie Mason,
TVLine,
18 May 2025
Noun
-
Try supplements: Certain supplements, such as Riboflavin and CoQ10, can help reduce the frequency and severity of attacks.—
Verywell Health,
Verywell Health,
6 June 2025
-
The administration also pointed to a recent terrorist attack in Boulder, Colorado, carried out by an immigrant from Egypt who threw gasoline bombs into a gathering of pro-Israel demonstrators, as a catalyst for the policy (however, Egypt isn’t one of the countries on the restricted list).—
Bailey Berg,
AFAR Media,
5 June 2025
Adjective
-
Tech wealth here looks even less appealing than that of the Roy family (the expensively beige décor is even uglier).—
Kyle Chayka,
New Yorker,
4 June 2025
-
During the negotiation of USMCA in 2018, the current trade agreement between the United States, Mexico and Canada that Trump managed during his first term, conversations between the President and GM occasionally turned ugly.—
Jackie Charniga,
USA Today,
3 June 2025
Adjective
-
And sometimes the soldiers can do things which are totally unacceptable and can be called crimes.—
Isaac Chotiner,
New Yorker,
6 June 2025
-
Tools that pose an unacceptable threat to rights or safety are banned outright.—
Dan Fitzpatrick,
Forbes.com,
5 June 2025
Noun
-
When Pride Month began The monthlong global celebration began with Gay Pride Week in late June 1970, a year after the violent police raid at New York’s Stonewall Inn, a gay bar.—
Geoff Mulvihill,
Chicago Tribune,
1 June 2025
-
Earlier in the year, CBP agents conducted a three-day raid in rural parts of Kern County targeting day laborers and Latino farmworkers.—
Clara Harter,
Los Angeles Times,
31 May 2025
Adjective
-
Over the 18 games following a 21-run eruption against the historically awful Colorado Rockies, the Padres ranked last in the majors in OPS and third-to-last in runs per game.—
Dennis Lin,
New York Times,
2 June 2025
-
The timing isn’t awful for SDFC, which doesn’t play its next league game until June 14 and expected Lozano to be absent possibly into early July on national-team duty.—
Mark Zeigler,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
31 May 2025
Adjective
-
While social media has vacuumed up an increasing share of brands’ overall spending, ad buyers frequently have to reassess when their create appears next to objectionable content, something that has happened with regularity.—
Dade Hayes,
Deadline,
2 June 2025
-
Judges sometimes make decisions that are objectionable from a moral and legal standpoint.—
Michael Gregory,
The Conversation,
23 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Offensive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/offensive. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share