adj
Meaning 1
Intended for defence; protective.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
- a defensive perimeter
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Standard Lemma guide
defensive
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
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Canada, General-American, Received-Pronunciation: /dɪˈfɛn.sɪv/
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Texas: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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Australian: /dɪˈfen.sɪv/
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Queensland Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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New-Zealand: /dəˈfen.səv/
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CMU ARPABET: D IH0 F EH1 N S IH0 V Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
adj
Meaning 2
Intended to deter attack.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
- a defensive missile system
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
adj
Meaning 3
Performed so as to minimise risk.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
- defensive driving
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
adj
Meaning 4
Displaying an inordinate sensitivity to criticism or intrusion; oversensitive; thin-skinned.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
adj
Meaning 5
Of a bowling or fielding tactic designed to prevent the other side from scoring runs; of a batting tactic designed to prevent being out.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: ball-games, cricket, games, hobbies, lifestyle, sports
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
adj
Meaning 6
Pertaining to defense, as opposed to attack.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: hobbies, lifestyle, sports
Examples
- The victim held up his hand to repel the attacker and received a defensive knife wound.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
adj
Meaning 7
In a state or posture of defense.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 8
A means, attitude or position of defense. Chiefly in on the defensive.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
adjective
Meaning 9
intended or appropriate for defending against or deterring aggression or attack
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- defensive weapons
- a defensive stance
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: offensive
adjective satellite
Meaning 10
attempting to justify or defend in speech or writing
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: justificative, justificatory
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 11
an attitude of defensiveness (especially in the phrase `on the defensive')
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: defensive attitude
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: attitude, mental attitude
History
Etymology
From Middle French défensif. Morphologically defense + -ive.
Across languages
Translations
71 source translations are retained for this English entry.
- Armenian: պաշտպանական (paštpanakan) — intended for defence; protective
- Belarusian: абаро́нны (abarónny) — intended for defence; protective
- Belarusian: ахо́ўны (axówny) — intended for defence; protective
- Bulgarian: защитен (zaštiten) — intended for defence; protective
- Bulgarian: отбранителен (otbranitelen) — intended for defence; protective
- Catalan: defensiu — intended for defence; protective
- Catalan: que defensa — intended for defence; protective
- Catalan: que defend — intended for defence; protective
- Catalan: defensant — intended for defence; protective
- Catalan: defenent — intended for defence; protective
- Czech: obranný — intended for defence; protective
- Dutch: defensief — intended for defence; protective
- Dutch: beschermend — intended for defence; protective
- Finnish: puolustus- — intended for defence; protective
- Finnish: puolustusta varten — intended for defence; protective
- French: défensif — intended for defence; protective
- French: defendant — intended for defence; protective
- Galician: defensivo — intended for defence; protective
- German: Verteidigungs- — intended for defence; protective
- German: Abwehr- — intended for defence; protective
- Greek: αμυντικός (amyntikós) — intended for defence; protective
- Hungarian: védelmi — intended for defence; protective
- Hungarian: védekező — intended for defence; protective
- Hungarian: defenzív — intended for defence; protective
- Ido: defensiva — intended for defence; protective
- Italian: difensivo — intended for defence; protective
- Italian: difendente — intended for defence; protective
- Italian: che difende — intended for defence; protective
- Latin: defensīvus — intended for defence; protective
- Latin: defensāns — intended for defence; protective
- Latin: defendēns — intended for defence; protective
- Polish: obronny — intended for defence; protective
- Polish: defensywny — intended for defence; protective
- Portuguese: defensivo — intended for defence; protective
- Portuguese: defensante — intended for defence; protective
- Portuguese: que defensa — intended for defence; protective
- Romanian: defensiv — intended for defence; protective
- Russian: оборони́тельный (oboronítelʹnyj) — intended for defence; protective
- Russian: защи́тный (zaščítnyj) — intended for defence; protective
- Spanish: defensivo — intended for defence; protective
- Spanish: que defensa — intended for defence; protective
- Spanish: defensante — intended for defence; protective
- Ukrainian: оборо́нний (oborónnyj) — intended for defence; protective
- Ukrainian: захисни́й (zaxysnýj) — intended for defence; protective
- Finnish: puolustus- — intended to deter attack
- Finnish: puolustusta varten — intended to deter attack
- German: Abwehr- — intended to deter attack
- Finnish: varovainen — performed so as to minimise risk
- Finnish: ennakoiva — performed so as to minimise risk
- Finnish: ehkäisevä — performed so as to minimise risk
- Finnish: defensiivinen — performed so as to minimise risk
- German: defensiv — performed so as to minimise risk
- German: zurückhaltend — performed so as to minimise risk
- Finnish: puolustuskannalla — displaying an inordinate sensitivity to criticism; cf. thin-skinned
- Finnish: herkkähipiäinen — displaying an inordinate sensitivity to criticism; cf. thin-skinned
- German: abwehrend — displaying an inordinate sensitivity to criticism; cf. thin-skinned
- German: verletzlich — displaying an inordinate sensitivity to criticism; cf. thin-skinned
- Finnish: puolustuskannalla — in a state or posture of defense
- German: Abwehr- — in a state or posture of defense
- Belarusian: абаро́на (abaróna) — means, attitude or position
- Bulgarian: отбрана (otbrana) — means, attitude or position
- Finnish: puolustus — means, attitude or position
- Galician: defensiva — means, attitude or position
- German: Abwehr — means, attitude or position
- German: Verteidigung — means, attitude or position
- Polish: defensywa — means, attitude or position
- Portuguese: defensiva — means, attitude or position
- Romanian: apărare — means, attitude or position
- Romanian: defensivă — means, attitude or position
- Russian: оборо́на (oboróna) — means, attitude or position
- Ukrainian: оборо́на (oboróna) — means, attitude or position
Real reading context