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
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Recent Examples of offensive
Danny Davis, Austin American Statesman, 8 Mar. 2026
Jake Evans also scored and Jakub Dobes made 35 saves for the Canadiens, who salvaged the final stop of their three-game California road trip with a late surge led by their offensive stars.
—CBS News, 8 Mar. 2026
James Laporta
march 5, CBS News, 6 Mar. 2026
Earlier in 2025, the United States carried out air strikes in Iraq, waged a roughly seven-week offensive against Houthi rebels in Yemen, and carried out the aforementioned attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities.
—Conor Friedersdorf, The Atlantic, 5 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for offensive
Adjective
Carlton already has scored six points, and the sophomore forward assisted teammate Breya Cunningham on the game's first basket and set up another UT score by drawing an offensive foul.
—Danny Davis, Austin American Statesman, 8 Mar. 2026
Jake Evans also scored and Jakub Dobes made 35 saves for the Canadiens, who salvaged the final stop of their three-game California road trip with a late surge led by their offensive stars.
—CBS News, 8 Mar. 2026
Noun
While the existing structure had been there for years for port operations, it was repurposed for the Defense Department's Iran offensive.
—James Laporta
march 5, CBS News, 6 Mar. 2026
Earlier in 2025, the United States carried out air strikes in Iraq, waged a roughly seven-week offensive against Houthi rebels in Yemen, and carried out the aforementioned attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities.
—Conor Friedersdorf, The Atlantic, 5 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for offensive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for offensive
Adjective
-
Critics at its first press screening called the film disgusting, accusing it of exploiting both its oblivious subjects and the beloved former first lady.—
Rosemary Counter,
Vanity Fair,
25 Feb. 2026
-
Just last week the president tweeted a vile and disgusting image of President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama, and refuses to apologize.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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But there was the Transformers actor, with his tattoos and pirate beard, behaving like the obnoxious guy at the bar who spoils everybody else’s night, getting into a fight, then continuing to party the next day after his high-profile arrest.—
James Hibberd,
HollywoodReporter,
27 Feb. 2026
-
By and large, Kenny comes off as a nice guy, if not a smidge obnoxious.—
Jordan Hoffman,
Entertainment Weekly,
15 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Several Persian Gulf nations have already reduced or fully shut down oil and natural gas production out of fear of an attack by Iran’s drone or missile arsenal.—
Nabih Bulos,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Mar. 2026
-
Even so, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) saw fresh drone and missile attacks Saturday morning.—
Jessie Yeung,
CNN Money,
7 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Perhaps the most ugly truth of human spaceflight is that the ISS is old and its days are numbered.—
Meghan Bartels,
Scientific American,
6 Mar. 2026
-
Okay, let’s get into the other good, bad, and ugly from episode 2 of Survivor 50, and — shameless plug alert!—
Dalton Ross,
Entertainment Weekly,
5 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
There have also been reports that some migrants are being held at the processing center longer than ICE policy allows, something Veasey called unacceptable.—
Marissa Armas,
CBS News,
10 Mar. 2026
-
Government actions have an important symbolic value and show that authorities deem violence against women unacceptable, said Isadora Vianna, a sociology researcher from Rio de Janeiro State University.—
Eléonore Hughes,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Some people were arrested on suspicion of more than one offense, said Keith Sterling, a spokesman for the city.—
Hannah Fry,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Mar. 2026
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Current law says only those accused of murder or treason can have bail withheld, but this language expands that possibility to other offenses, such as misdemeanors.—
Kayla Dwyer,
IndyStar,
6 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Both teams were mostly awful on offense in the first half.—
Greg Beacham,
Twin Cities,
11 Mar. 2026
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Make no mistake about it, Smith was awful last year with the Raiders.—
Antwan Staley,
New York Daily News,
11 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
In an effort to keep kids away from objectionable content, a number of US states and several countries—Australia being the latest—have implemented age-verification laws that require websites to confirm that their visitors are of age.—
Chloe Albanesius,
PC Magazine,
9 Mar. 2026
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This does not mean giving up on health interventions some people may find objectionable but better understanding the conceptual origins of resistance and working with people from there.—
Cory Anderson,
STAT,
6 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Offensive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/offensive. Accessed 13 Mar. 2026.
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