Defensive — meaning, pronunciation & more

Definition

an attitude of defensiveness (especially in the phrase `on the defensive')

intended or appropriate for defending against or deterring aggression or attack

Pronunciation

🇺🇸American English

/dɪspɹˈuːvən/

🇬🇧British English

/dɪfˈɛnsɪv/

🇮🇳Indian English

/dɪfˈɛnsɪv/

3 syllables Say it as /dɪspɹˈuːvən/.

Examples

defensive weapons
a defensive stance

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

justificatory defensive attitude justificative

Antonyms

offensive

Parts of Speech

noun	an attitude of defensiveness (especially in the phrase `on the defensive')
adjective	intended or appropriate for defending against or deterring aggression or attack “defensive weapons”
adjective	attempting to justify or defend in speech or writing

Word Forms

defensive	adjective	attempting to justify or defend in speech or writing
defend	verb	protect against a challenge or attack
defensive	noun	an attitude of defensiveness (especially in the phrase `on the defensive')
justify	verb	defend, explain, clear away, or make excuses for by reasoning

Around the World

Europe

🇫🇷French

défensive

une attitude défensive (surtout dans l'expression « sur la défensive »)

🇪🇸Spanish

defensivo

una actitud defensiva (especialmente en la frase "a la defensiva")

🇮🇹Italian

difensiva

un atteggiamento difensivo (soprattutto nella frase "sulla difensiva")

🇳🇱Dutch

defensief

een defensieve houding (vooral in de zinsnede ‘in de verdediging’)

🇵🇹Portuguese

defensiva

uma atitude de defesa (especialmente na frase “na defensiva”)

🇷🇺Russian

оборонительный

защитная позиция (особенно во фразе «защищаться»)

India

🇮🇳Hindi

बचाव

रक्षात्मक रवैया (विशेषकर 'रक्षात्मक' वाक्यांश में)

🇧🇩Bengali

প্রতিরক্ষামূলক

প্রতিরক্ষামূলক মনোভাব (বিশেষ করে 'প্রতিরক্ষামূলক' বাক্যাংশে)

🇮🇳Tamil

தற்காப்பு

தற்காப்பு மனப்பான்மை (குறிப்பாக `தற்காப்பு' என்ற சொற்றொடரில்)

🇮🇳Telugu

రక్షణాత్మకమైన

రక్షణాత్మక వైఖరి (ముఖ్యంగా `ఆన్ ది డిఫెన్సివ్' అనే పదబంధంలో)

🇮🇳Marathi

बचावात्मक

बचावात्मकतेची वृत्ती (विशेषत: 'बचावात्मक' या वाक्यांशात)

🇮🇳Gujarati

રક્ષણાત્મક

રક્ષણાત્મક વલણ (ખાસ કરીને 'રક્ષણાત્મક પર' વાક્યમાં)

🇮🇳Kannada

ರಕ್ಷಣಾತ್ಮಕ

ರಕ್ಷಣಾತ್ಮಕ ವರ್ತನೆ (ವಿಶೇಷವಾಗಿ "ರಕ್ಷಣಾತ್ಮಕವಾಗಿ" ಎಂಬ ಪದಗುಚ್ಛದಲ್ಲಿ)

🇮🇳Malayalam

പ്രതിരോധം

പ്രതിരോധ മനോഭാവം (പ്രത്യേകിച്ച് `പ്രതിരോധത്തിൽ' എന്ന വാക്യത്തിൽ)

🇮🇳Punjabi

ਰੱਖਿਆਤਮਕ

ਰੱਖਿਆਤਮਕਤਾ ਦਾ ਰਵੱਈਆ (ਖ਼ਾਸਕਰ 'ਰੱਖਿਆਤਮਕ' 'ਤੇ' ਵਾਕਾਂਸ਼ ਵਿੱਚ)

🇵🇰Urdu

دفاعی

دفاعی رویہ (خاص طور پر 'دفاعی پر' کے جملے میں)

East & Southeast Asia

🇨🇳Chinese

防御性的

防御态度（特别是在“防御”一词中）

🇯🇵Japanese

防御的な

防御的な態度（特に「防御的」という表現において）

🇰🇷Korean

방어적인

방어적인 태도(특히 '방어적'이라는 문구에서)

🇻🇳Vietnamese

phòng thủ

một thái độ phòng thủ (đặc biệt là trong cụm từ 'phòng thủ')

🇹🇭Thai

การป้องกัน

ทัศนคติของการป้องกัน (โดยเฉพาะในวลี 'ในการป้องกัน')

🇮🇩Indonesian

defensif

sikap defensif (terutama pada frasa `defensif')

🇵🇭Filipino

nagtatanggol

isang saloobin ng pagiging depensiba (lalo na sa pariralang `sa pagtatanggol')

🇲🇾Malay

defensif

sikap defensif (terutamanya dalam frasa `on the defensive')

Middle East

🇸🇦Arabic

دفاعي

موقف دفاعي (خاصة في عبارة "في موقف دفاعي")

🇮🇷Persian

دفاعی

نگرش دفاعی (به ویژه در عبارت "در حالت دفاعی")

🇹🇷Turkish

savunma

Savunmacı bir tutum (özellikle 'savunmada' ifadesinde)

🇮🇱Hebrew

הֲגַנָתִי

גישה של התגוננות (במיוחד בביטוי `במגננה')

Test Yourself1 / 3

What is the primary definition of the word 'defensive'?

The primary meaning of 'defensive' is 'an attitude of defensiveness (especially in the phrase `on the defensive')'.

Which of the following sentences uses the word 'defensive' in a grammatically correct way?

Using 'defensive' in a noun/adjective form makes the first sentence correct.

In which domain is the word 'defensive' most likely to appear as standard vocabulary?

'defensive' is a standard word used primarily in general literature and formal communications.

Community Poll1 / 6

How often do you encounter the word 'defensive' in your daily reading?

Very Often

Occasionally

Rarely

Never

Do you find 'defensive' easy to spell?

Yes, very easy

Somewhat easy

A bit confusing

Extremely hard

In your opinion, does the word 'defensive' have a positive, neutral, or gloomy tone?

Positive

Neutral

Gloomy

Vibrant

Which age group is most likely to use 'defensive' in regular conversations?

Kids (3-12)

Teens (13-19)

Adults (20-60)

Seniors (60+)

How likely are you to use 'defensive' in a professional email?

Very likely

Somewhat likely

Not very likely

Never

Would you classify 'defensive' as formal, casual, or slang?

Formal

Casual

Slang

Archaic

Pick an option to see how others voted