Synonyms for
Offensive
Definition
causing someone to feel hurt, upset, or annoyed
Synonyms & similar words
nauseating
savory
unsavoury
queasy
sickening
violative
vile
noisome
offense
unsavory
euphemistic
inoffensive
offence
loathsome
dysphemistic
defensive
nauseous
insulting
abusive
derogatory
hurtful
vulgar
obscene
indecent
crude
disparaging
belittling
degrading
humiliating
disrespectful
impolite
impudent
discourteous
uncivil
unpleasant
displeasing
repugnant
Synonyms by register
Formal
Literary
Antonyms
Common collocations
- offensive language
- offensive remark
- offensive behavior
- deeply offensive
- highly offensive
- offensive to some
- offensive to my ears
Word family
Usage note
Primarily used to describe speech or actions that cause displeasure or resentment due to rudeness or insult. Can also refer to something that is unpleasant or disagreeable.
Example sentences
- The comedian's jokes were offensive to some members of the audience.
- The teacher talked to the students about why it's important to avoid saying offensive things.
- The politician's remarks about immigrants were seen as offensive by many people.
- The company apologized for their offensive advertisement.
- He didn't mean to be offensive, he just didn't understand why his comment was hurtful.
Quotes
I don’t believe in censorship, but I do believe in self-censorship. I don’t believe in offending for the sake of offending.
Words are not enough to express the unconditional love that exists between a mother and a daughter. The love is felt, the love is understood, but sometimes the love is unspoken.
I'm not interested in offending people, I'm interested in challenging people.