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
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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
Doug Kyed, Boston Herald, 13 June 2025
New York continues to lead the majors in multiple offensive categories.
—Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 13 June 2025
Arkansas Online, 5 June 2025
Jolly, who left Congress in 2017 and registered without party affiliation a year later, has been on something of a charm offensive of late.
—Vivienne Serret, Miami Herald, 5 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for offensive
Adjective
But Chism is certainly taking the correct approach at learning Josh McDaniels’ historically difficult offensive playbook.
—Doug Kyed, Boston Herald, 13 June 2025
New York continues to lead the majors in multiple offensive categories.
—Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 13 June 2025
Noun
Gaza's roughly 2 million people are almost completely reliant on international aid because Israel's offensive has destroyed nearly all food production capabilities.
—Arkansas Online, 5 June 2025
Jolly, who left Congress in 2017 and registered without party affiliation a year later, has been on something of a charm offensive of late.
—Vivienne Serret, Miami Herald, 5 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for offensive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for offensive
Adjective
-
Conrad wraps the conversation by being incredibly disgusting about Bella’s nether regions.—
Kimberly Roots,
TVLine,
1 June 2025
-
For the next 200 years, snails only appeared in Parisian cookbooks alongside an apology for including such a disgusting ingredient.—
Garritt C. Van Dyk,
Smithsonian Magazine,
29 May 2025
Adjective
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There was an early attempt to disperse the crowd by blasting Barry Manilow songs at an obnoxious volume, which failed.—
Rachel Morris,
New Yorker,
5 June 2025
-
Trump calls Bruce Springsteen 'obnoxious jerk' after singer voiced criticism at concert The moment ignited a back-and-forth between an icon of American rock and the president.—
Anna Kaufman,
USA Today,
22 May 2025
Noun
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Try supplements: Certain supplements, such as Riboflavin and CoQ10, can help reduce the frequency and severity of attacks.—
Verywell Health,
Verywell Health,
6 June 2025
-
Clearly, this is just the start of what will be an all-out attack on workers.—
Jim Miller,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
5 June 2025
Adjective
-
Tech wealth here looks even less appealing than that of the Roy family (the expensively beige décor is even uglier).—
Kyle Chayka,
New Yorker,
4 June 2025
-
During the negotiation of USMCA in 2018, the current trade agreement between the United States, Mexico and Canada that Trump managed during his first term, conversations between the President and GM occasionally turned ugly.—
Jackie Charniga,
USA Today,
3 June 2025
Adjective
-
And sometimes the soldiers can do things which are totally unacceptable and can be called crimes.—
Isaac Chotiner,
New Yorker,
6 June 2025
-
Shamkhani underscored that the absence of sanctions relief rendered the U.S. plan unacceptable.—
Amir Daftari,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 June 2025
Noun
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Immigration enforcement actions, particularly since the raids in Los Angeles in early June, have led to speculation of raids in North Texas.—
Matt Leclercq,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 June 2025
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The Biden administration ended the practice, saying employers exploited the raids to suppress workers from reporting labor violations.—
Nathaniel Meyersohn,
CNN Money,
13 June 2025
Adjective
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Even so, some of Lucy’s pronouncements are so truly awful that a blunt snort of laughter is the only response.—
Stephanie Zacharek,
Time,
13 June 2025
-
Romano moved back into the closer role since the loss of Alvarado, and has alternated awesome and awful performances - his ERA is an unsightly 7.40 to date.—
Tony Blengino,
Forbes.com,
11 June 2025
Adjective
-
While social media has vacuumed up an increasing share of brands’ overall spending, ad buyers frequently have to reassess when their create appears next to objectionable content, something that has happened with regularity.—
Dade Hayes,
Deadline,
2 June 2025
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Judges sometimes make decisions that are objectionable from a moral and legal standpoint.—
Michael Gregory,
The Conversation,
23 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Offensive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/offensive. Accessed 18 Jun. 2025.
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