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
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Recent Examples of offensive
Brendan Morrow, USA Today, 17 May 2026
Schwarber, even in his early 30's, has taken his offensive game to a whole new level.
—Ian Miller Outkick, FOXNews.com, 17 May 2026
Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 17 May 2026
The Tempo put up more shots than the Sparks, 70-58, largely because of a 10-2 offensive-rebounding gap.
—Marisa Ingemi, Los Angeles Times, 16 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for offensive
Adjective
The jokes are generally shocking and offensive things that the other person wouldn't want to be saying on live television.
—Brendan Morrow, USA Today, 17 May 2026
Schwarber, even in his early 30's, has taken his offensive game to a whole new level.
—Ian Miller Outkick, FOXNews.com, 17 May 2026
Noun
So far, his ideological offensive on film content has been discreet.
—Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 17 May 2026
The Tempo put up more shots than the Sparks, 70-58, largely because of a 10-2 offensive-rebounding gap.
—Marisa Ingemi, Los Angeles Times, 16 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for offensive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for offensive
Adjective
-
How on Earth could this Wild team, after dominating the first period and taking a 3-0 lead with a chance to keep its season alive and force a Game 6, collapse in such an absolutely disgusting fashion?—
Michael Russo,
New York Times,
14 May 2026
-
Just days ago, the CDC announced that over 100 passengers and more than a dozen crew members on a different ship, the Caribbean Princess, have been infected by norovirus—a less fatal but more disgusting illness.—
Hillary Busis,
Vanity Fair,
11 May 2026
Adjective
-
The Golden Knights are obnoxious.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
19 May 2026
-
But how that staged, arguably obnoxious behavior plays out in a political campaign, run by a man in his 40s, is another matter.—
Lorraine Ali,
Los Angeles Times,
18 May 2026
Noun
-
Northwestern didn’t let Johns Hopkins’ comeback attack get any closer though.—
Colleen Kane,
Chicago Tribune,
23 May 2026
-
Those attacks have also threatened its image as a glamorous haven for tourists to the Middle East.—
Amy Gunia,
CNN Money,
22 May 2026
Adjective
-
But there is a right to be concerned about Levshunov after an ugly 2025-26.—
Kalen Lumpkins,
Chicago Tribune,
23 May 2026
-
Between archival footage and photos of Lennon and Ono, there are dozens of jarring, ugly visuals, seemingly generated by entering Ono and Lennon’s dialogue into a machine that spits out bizarrely literal interpretations of text.—
Rachel Handler,
Vulture,
22 May 2026
Adjective
-
That could include fees for access, which Washington says would be unacceptable.—
Reuters,
NBC news,
20 May 2026
-
Speakers at Tuesday’s rally argued this was unacceptable.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
20 May 2026
Noun
-
The sophomore midfielder can pass and score with either foot and is equally proficient at playing offense or defense.—
Matt Le Cren,
Chicago Tribune,
23 May 2026
-
The Dodgers’ offense, in contrast to the Brewers’, didn’t record a hit off Brewers starter Logan Henderson until the fourth inning.—
Maddie Lee,
Los Angeles Times,
23 May 2026
Adjective
-
And Season 2 was the Deathclaw, which was an awful lot of fun.—
Scott Huver,
Variety,
20 May 2026
-
But every awful pause contains an ocean of meaning, none of it comforting.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
20 May 2026
Adjective
-
The jokes Che wrote for Jost were no less objectionable.—
Brendan Morrow,
USA Today,
17 May 2026
-
The radio call-in format dates back to the 1950s, although in some of the first shows to feature listener calls, the calls were recorded for later broadcast, or the hosts summarized them to avoid objectionable content being aired.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
13 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Offensive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/offensive. Accessed 23 May. 2026.
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