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
Freddie Clayton, NBC news, 13 June 2026
Offensive line depth is concerning Austin Jackson’s foot injury exposed an area of weakness the Dolphins have on the roster because Miami needs to do better than Kion Smith as the primary backup offensive tackle.
—Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 9 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
The deal includes an end to fighting in Lebanon, where Israel has continued a deadly offensive against Hezbollah despite existing ceasefire agreements.
—Freddie Clayton, NBC news, 13 June 2026
Offensive line depth is concerning Austin Jackson’s foot injury exposed an area of weakness the Dolphins have on the roster because Miami needs to do better than Kion Smith as the primary backup offensive tackle.
—Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 9 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for offensive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for offensive
Adjective
-
One of the guests makes a disgusting joke involving the boat and lubricant.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
26 Aug. 2025
-
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
Adjective
-
The American tourist used to be regarded as the most obnoxious creature in the world.—
Francesco Pacifico,
The Dial,
9 Dec. 2025
-
In the best Scrooge tradition, Brad — a three-time Razzie Award nominee who at the story’s beginning is filming the seventh installment of his cheesy action movie series Killing Time — is an obnoxious blowhard who hits on his married co-star and refuses to do his own stunts.—
Frank Scheck,
HollywoodReporter,
24 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
His left arm, partially blown off in a grenade attack on October 7, 2023, is visible in the video.—
Dana Karni,
CNN Money,
12 Dec. 2025
-
Teams are targeting the champions down their right side, channelling more of their attacks onto that flank.—
Liam Tharme,
New York Times,
12 Dec. 2025
Adjective
-
Putting to one side any uglier consequences of illness or less fixable emotional wounds, the film follows suit — though there’s only a glancing sense here that death is for life, not just for Christmas.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
11 Dec. 2025
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Monday's matchup was one of the ugliest games of the year for the Eagles, committing five costly turnovers in the 22-19 loss.—
MSNBC Newsweek,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Dec. 2025
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
-
Allowing the status quo to remain is simply unacceptable.—
Catherine Blakespear,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
10 June 2026
Noun
-
Prescott and the offense knows that there will be pressure sent its way.—
Nick Harris,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
12 Dec. 2025
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But the reintegration process of a high-usage player such as Herro to a Heat team using a completely new offense running the fewest pick-and-rolls in the league this season will take time.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
11 Dec. 2025
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
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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
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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 18 Jun. 2026.
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