offensive
Definitions
Causing someone to feel hurt, angry, or upset; rude or insulting.
冒犯的，令人反感的，无礼的
Used for or relating to attacking; aggressive.
进攻的，攻击性的
A planned military attack; a major campaign or effort to achieve something.
（军事）攻势；（为达目的的）大举行动
Root Breakdown
Root-derivedof- (a form of ob-, 'toward, against') + fens (strike) + -ive = 'striking toward someone.' A blow aimed at a person hurts them — so offensive means insulting. The same image of striking out at an enemy gives the military sense: an offensive is an attack, and a team plays offensive when it pushes forward. The of- here is ob- assimilated before f.
Root fens still carries 8 more wordsCommon Collocations
- 1.deeply offensive极其冒犯
- 2.launch an offensive发起攻势
- 3.go on the offensive主动出击
- 4.offensive remark冒犯的言论
- 5.charm offensive魅力攻势
Example Sentences
- 1.
His joke was offensive and several people walked out.
- 2.
The general planned a major offensive for the spring.
- 3.
The company launched a marketing offensive to win back customers.
- 4.
The team has a strong offensive line this season.
Easily Confused
offensive vs aggressive — Both can describe hostility, but offensive focuses on the effect of causing hurt or insult (an offensive comment), while aggressive describes a forceful, pushy manner (an aggressive salesperson). A remark is offensive if it wounds; behavior is aggressive if it bullies forward. Note also the stress is the same in both senses: of-FEN-sive.