offensiveとは

意味・読み方・使い方

語源

From Middle French offensif, from Medieval Latin offensivus, from Latin offendere (“to offend”), past participle offensus; see offend.

発音

• IPA^(key): /əˈfɛnsɪv/
• (sports): (米国発音) IPA^(key): /ˈɔˌfɛnsɪv/

形容詞

offensive (comparative more offensive, superlative most offensive)

1. Causing offense; arousing a visceral reaction of disgust, anger, or hatred.

   Some people find pornography offensive.

   An offensive smell.

2. Relating to an offense or attack, as opposed to defensive.
   • 2013 June 7, Ed Pilkington, “‘Killer robots’ should be banned in advance, UN told”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 188, number 26, page 6:

     In his submission to the UN, [Christof] Heyns points to the experience of drones. Unmanned aerial vehicles were intended initially only for surveillance, and their use for offensive purposes was prohibited, yet once strategists realised their perceived advantages as a means of carrying out targeted killings, all objections were swept out of the way.

   The army's offensive capabilities. An offensive weapon.

3. (sports) Having to do with play directed at scoring.

   The offensive coordinator is responsible for ordering all rushing plays.

使用する際の注意点

• Nouns to which "offensive" is often applied: content, material, language, word, comment, remark, statement, speech, joke, humor, image, picture, art, behavior, conduct, act, action.
• When the second syllable is emphasized, "offensive" is defined as "insulting". When the first syllable is emphasized, it refers to the attacker in a conflict or a sport.

同意語

• aggressive
• invidious (Intending to cause envious offense)

反意語

• inoffensive (not causing offense または disgust)
• defensive (relating または causing defence)

派生語

• offensiveness

関連する語

• offend

名詞

offensive (countable かつ uncountable, 複数形 offensives)

1. (countable, military) An attack.

   The Marines today launched a major offensive.

2. (uncountable) The posture of attacking or being able to attack.

   He took the offensive in the press, accusing his opponent of corruption.

Further reading

• offensive in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• offensive in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911.