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
Emily Adams, Hartford Courant, 7 July 2025
Matthews’ offensive upside is not high enough to justify weakening one of the sport’s best defensive infields.
—Chandler Rome, New York Times, 4 July 2025
Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 29 June 2025
But in Gaza, Israel’s offensive has shown no signs of abating, with Israeli fire killing hundreds of people there since the Iran-Israel conflict began.
—Kara Fox, CNN Money, 25 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for offensive
Adjective
The Sun have also struggled to find any offensive rhythm since star guard Marina Mabrey suffered a left knee injury against the Wings on June 20.
—Emily Adams, Hartford Courant, 7 July 2025
Matthews’ offensive upside is not high enough to justify weakening one of the sport’s best defensive infields.
—Chandler Rome, New York Times, 4 July 2025
Noun
As Russian drones and missiles batter Ukraine’s infrastructure and logistics, its ground forces continue a slow but steady advance across the roughly 750-mile front as part of its summer offensive.
—Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 29 June 2025
But in Gaza, Israel’s offensive has shown no signs of abating, with Israeli fire killing hundreds of people there since the Iran-Israel conflict began.
—Kara Fox, CNN Money, 25 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for offensive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for offensive
Adjective
-
Danny DeVito, who plays the hilarious and disgusting Frank Reynolds on Always Sunny, used to be married to a fellow comedy legend, Rhea Perlman.—
Allison DeGrushe Published,
EW.com,
9 July 2025
-
July 7, 2025 Homa included another message from a fan that is far too disgusting to even reiterate.—
Kendall Capps,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 July 2025
Adjective
-
Meanwhile, Harrison — who fled to New York City and now works at an upscale Manhattan hotel — crosses paths with an obnoxious guest/serial rapist, Ryan Foster (Bryan Lillis).—
EW.com,
EW.com,
10 July 2025
-
Hostile and unwelcoming, Elisabeth actually comes off like a typical Parisian, ill-suited to the task of accompanying obnoxious rich people into their overpriced rentals.—
Jordan Mintzer,
HollywoodReporter,
8 July 2025
Noun
-
Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky kicked off the proceedings in Rome as Moscow pounded Ukraine’s capital with another major missile and drone attack overnight in some of the heaviest attacks on Kyiv in the more than three-year war.—
Nicole Winfield,
Los Angeles Times,
11 July 2025
-
Anxiety over a possible terrorist attack on the world’s then second-tallest building dramatically reduced the attractiveness of the 110-story tower at 233 S. Wacker Drive to some existing tenants and many prospective ones.—
Kori Rumore,
Chicago Tribune,
11 July 2025
Adjective
-
And by sharing the ugly parts, she's made golf feel more human.—
Devlina Sarkar,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 July 2025
-
In ‘24, Hoover and the offense were a mess through the first six games, which included a rash of turnovers and ugly home defeats to Houston and Central Florida.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
10 July 2025
Adjective
-
The use of unilateral sanctions against Special Rapporteurs or any other UN expert or official is unacceptable.—
Amira El-Fekki,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 July 2025
-
Students, both the ones who behave and the ones who misbehave, need to know that there are real consequences for unacceptable behavior.—
Carrie Lukas,
Forbes.com,
9 July 2025
Noun
-
Newsweek has revealed dozens of cases involving green card holders and applicants who were swept up in the ICE raids.—
Billal Rahman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 July 2025
-
In one raid, federal agents detained people at a bus stop at Orange Grove Boulevard and Los Robles Avenue on June 18.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
5 July 2025
Adjective
-
However, the idea that Gunn was going to make an awful Superman movie does not match up with his history of comic book productions across Marvel and DC.—
Paul Tassi,
Forbes.com,
7 July 2025
-
This has been an awful process—a frantic rush to meet an artificial deadline that has tested every limit of this institution.—
Aliss Higham,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 July 2025
Adjective
-
Ryan MacDonald, chief technology officer at Liquid Web, attributes the disturbing, confusing and objectionable content to guardrails not properly built or updated.—
Bryan Robinson,
Forbes.com,
3 July 2025
-
After some back-and-forth posts over the weekend, Moreland accused Bryan of inappropriate and objectionable behavior.—
Audrey Gibbs,
The Tennessean,
2 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Offensive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/offensive. Accessed 20 Jul. 2025.
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