OFFENSIVES Synonyms: 59 Similar and Opposite Words

offensives

noun

plural of offensive

as in attacks

the act or action of setting upon with force or violence the primary offensive by the ground forces will commence at dawn tomorrow

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of offensives However, Iran analysts are highly skeptical that Tehran will prove capable of launching any such large-scale ground offensives any time soon. — Paul Iddon, Forbes.com, 27 July 2026 Israel’s ongoing offensives have become a wedge issue for Jewish and non-Jewish Americans, leading to protests and raising antisemitism fears and questions about America’s close ties to Israel. — David Crary, Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2026 Countries are scrambling not to fall behind in AI — and French President Emmanuel Macron and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi are leading a personal charm offensives to court tech CEOs. — Kai Nicol-Schwarz,priyanka Salve, CNBC, 4 July 2026 Since the army broke the siege on el-Obeid last year, the RSF has launched multiple offensives in attempts to reestablish the siege from several directions. — ABC News, 24 June 2026 By targeting logistics hubs and resource stockpiles, Ukraine is attacking the systems that sustain Russian offensives. — Aidan Stretch, CBS News, 9 June 2026 The twin offensives are targeting Hamas and Hezbollah respectively, though critics argue that the operations are motivated at least in part by domestic politics — Israel is due to hold elections by October — and are amplifying troubling humanitarian situations in Gaza and Lebanon. — Prashant Rao, semafor.com, 29 May 2026 In response, guerrilla groups of liberals and the left emerged, gathering thousands of people in rural areas and launching offensives against the army. — Roberto Andrés, The Dial, 28 May 2026 The Oilers won nine series in the last four years and represented the West in unsuccessful offensives against the Florida Panthers in each of the past two Junes. — Andrew Knoll, Oc Register, 1 May 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for offensives

Noun

Ukraine's State Emergency Service said Tuesday that Russian strikes on Kyiv had killed one person and wounded seven other people since the start of the day, with attacks carried out on the capital's gas stations.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 16 Sep. 2026
Ukraine’s State Emergency Service said Tuesday that Russian strikes on Kyiv had killed one person and wounded seven other people since the start of the day, with attacks carried out on the capital’s gas stations.

— Liudas Dapkus, Los Angeles Times, 15 Sep. 2026

Definition of attacks

Noun

During last year’s raids on homes owned by Kadgien and her sister in Mar del Plata, Argentine police also seized two 19th-century paintings, along with other prints and engravings.

— Sergio Farella, Los Angeles Times, 5 Sep. 2026
Ask South Florida and Iowa State fans for their feelings on the roster raids Alex Golesh and Matt Campbell did at Auburn and Penn State.

— Matt Baker, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of raids

Noun

Independent Russian media regularly report about returning veterans involved in assaults, drunken brawls and even killings.

— ABC News, ABC News, 16 Sep. 2026
Research published in Nurse Leader shows assaults on nursing personnel rose from just over 14,000 in 2019 to nearly 24,000 in 2023.

— Jason Fass, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2026

Definition of assaults

Noun

Jacobs, 28, was arrested May 26 by the Hobart/Lawrence Police Department on suspicion of five offenses related to domestic abuse and released the next day.

— Devon Henderson, New York Times, 5 Sep. 2026
The charges included conspiracy against the internal and external security of the state, forming or joining a terrorist organization and offenses related to attempts to change the form of the state.

— ABC News, ABC News, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of offenses

Noun

In fact, reported evidence suggests this software commitment (from a company making its revenue from hardware) has been crucial to Nvidia’s success in fending off onslaughts from other hardware vendors such as Intel.

— Nisha Talagala, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2026
Ukraine has been largely helpless in similar Russian onslaughts in recent weeks.

— Tom Bowman, NPR, 4 Aug. 2026

Definition of onslaughts

Noun

As quotas for immigration arrests increased that spring, he was asked to press felony charges for even minor aggressions against agents.

— Emily Witt, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026
The United States deploys about 28,500 troops in South Korea as deterrence against potential aggressions from North Korea.

— ABC News, ABC News, 6 Aug. 2026

Definition of aggressions

Noun

Earlier attempts to harvest solar energy underwater stalled out in shallow waters under two meters deep, where sunlight is still plentiful but practical applications are scarce.

— Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 11 Sep. 2026
Tampa Bay allowed a QB hit on 11% of pass attempts last season, the lowest rate in the league.

— Joe Reedy, The Orlando Sentinel, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of attempts

Noun

Front-line health workers in eastern Congo have gone on multiple strikes to demand pay for their work, complicating efforts to stop the outbreak.

— ABC News, ABC News, 7 Sep. 2026
Two strikes hit the village of Kfar Rumman, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry.

— Claire Carter, The Washington Examiner, 7 Sep. 2026

Definition of strikes

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offensiveness

offensives

offer

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“Offensives.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/offensives. Accessed 17 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of offensives

noun

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