Link Centre Dictionary

defensive

de·fen·sive

UK/dəˈfen.səv/ US/dɪˈfɛn.sɪv/ fairly common
adjective (3) noun (1)

adjective

1.

intended or appropriate for defending against or deterring aggression or attack

  • “defensive weapons”
  • “a defensive stance”
Antonyms
Similar
2.

attempting to justify or defend in speech or writing

Synonyms
Similar
3.

serving as or appropriate for defending or protecting

  • “defensive fortifications”
  • “defensive dikes to protect against floods”
Similar

noun

1.

Origin

From Middle French défensif. Morphologically defense + -ive.

Phrases

  • defensive back
  • defensive copy
  • defensive copying
  • defensive design
  • defensive end
  • defensive field
  • defensive halfback
  • defensive indifference

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

See also

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.