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
Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 14 June 2026
The game flipped right after with a 10-2 spearheaded by Brunson, who no longer faced a flurry of denials on every single offensive possession.
—Fiifi Frimpong, New York Daily News, 14 June 2026
CBS News, 7 June 2026
Azerbaijan took control of the entire Karabakh region during a rapid offensive in 2023.
—ABC News, 7 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for offensive
Adjective
That 1992 offense, which stands as the club’s modern offensive nadir, included Wade Boggs and a young Mo Vaughn, but also nobody with more than 15 home runs.
—Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 14 June 2026
The game flipped right after with a 10-2 spearheaded by Brunson, who no longer faced a flurry of denials on every single offensive possession.
—Fiifi Frimpong, New York Daily News, 14 June 2026
Noun
Israel's ensuing offensive in Gaza has killed more than 72,000 Palestinians, including combatants and civilians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
—CBS News, 7 June 2026
Azerbaijan took control of the entire Karabakh region during a rapid offensive in 2023.
—ABC News, 7 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for offensive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for offensive
Adjective
-
With its violent and disgusting script, Se7en defied Hollywood conventions and was a perfect match for David Fincher, who was then known for directing Alien 3 (1992) along with gritty and inventive music videos.—
Eric Farwell,
Entertainment Weekly,
12 June 2026
-
The president announced the work in April during an unrelated Oval Office appearance, saying he was inspired by complaints from a friend visiting from Germany who called the pool dark and disgusting.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
4 June 2026
Adjective
-
Perhaps folks view Laesch’s behavior as obnoxious or counterproductive or simply not in his lane.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
28 May 2026
-
The White Lotus' Jennifer Coolidge plays Monica Geller (Courteney Cox) and Phoebe's obnoxious old roommate, Amanda Buffamonteezi, on a season 10 episode of Friends in 2003.—
Zoey Lyttle,
PEOPLE,
25 May 2026
Noun
-
The families allege that the attacker used ChatGPT to plan the attack, and that the company did not do anything to stop it.—
Ashley Capoot,
CNBC,
13 June 2026
-
And, in any case, many legal experts say the boat attacks amount to extrajudicial killings in violation of international law.—
Will Weissert,
Los Angeles Times,
13 June 2026
Adjective
-
From Valentino pig hoofs to Chanel half-sandals, our feeds are full of silly, outrageous and outright ugly footwear.—
Shane O’Neill,
Washington Post,
12 June 2026
-
Still, the settlement agreement bars either side from appealing Liman’s ruling, potentially drawing one of Hollywood’s ugliest recent legal fights to a close.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
12 June 2026
Adjective
-
The third strand of anti-vaccine advocacy, that compelling vaccine use is unacceptable, is a philosophical claim, not one of fact.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 June 2026
-
There is, of course, Itaewon, which is historically more associated with foreigners and other outsiders, where all who are deemed unacceptable are accepted.—
Anton Hur,
Condé Nast Traveler,
10 June 2026
Noun
-
The Cubs’ Javier Assad, by contrast, shut down the Giants’ offense for a second straight outing, tossing six scoreless innings with five strikeouts to one walk.—
Justice delos Santos,
Mercury News,
13 June 2026
-
The Dodgers bullpen bent but did not break, with the help of late-inning insurance runs from the offense.—
Maddie Lee,
Los Angeles Times,
12 June 2026
Adjective
-
There's an awful lot of this nation's history packed into one three-block area in Philadelphia.—
USA TODAY Network,
USA Today,
10 June 2026
-
Speaking of paperwork, there’s an awful lot of it in this episode.—
Erin Qualey,
Vulture,
10 June 2026
Adjective
-
The show hinges on finding an ordinary person who, plunged into a group of people he’s never met before, doesn’t reject them as weird or objectionable but embraces them at some basic human level.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
1 June 2026
-
Europe’s newfound openness to African industrialization is not because dependency suddenly became morally objectionable, but because Europe increasingly fears dependency itself.—
W. Gyude Moore,
semafor.com,
25 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Offensive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/offensive. Accessed 16 Jun. 2026.
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