defensive
Americanadjective
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serving to defend; protective.
defensive armament.
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made or carried on for the purpose of resisting attack.
defensive treaty;
a defensive attitude.
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of or relating to defense.
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(of stocks, securities, etc.)
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able to provide moderately steady growth with minimal risk.
The bank has put a large percentage of its assets in defensive rather than growth stocks.
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considered stable and relatively safe for investment, especially during a decline in the economy.
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excessively concerned with guarding against the real or imagined threat of criticism, injury to one's ego, or exposure of one's shortcomings.
noun
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a position or attitude of defense.
to be on the defensive about one's mistakes.
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Obsolete. something that serves to defend.
adjective
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intended, suitable, or done for defence, as opposed to offence
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rejecting criticisms of oneself or covering up one's failings
noun
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a position of defence
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in an attitude or position of defence, as in being ready to reject criticism
Other Word Forms
- defensively adverb
- defensiveness noun
- nondefensive adjective
- nondefensively adverb
- overdefensive adjective
- overdefensively adverb
- semidefensive adjective
- semidefensively adverb
- undefensive adjective
- undefensively adverb
Etymology
Origin of defensive
First recorded in 1350–1400; from Medieval Latin dēfēnsīvus ( defense, -ive ); replacing Middle English defensif, from Middle French, from Medieval Latin, as above
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
On Sunday, an RAF Typhoon jet operating out of Qatar shot down an Iranian drone in a "defensive air patrol", the Ministry of Defence said.
From BBC
France, Germany and the UK said Sunday they were ready to defend their interests and those of its allies in the Gulf if necessary by taking "defensive action" against Iran.
From Barron's
The US will use the bases for the "specific and limited defensive purpose" of destroying Iran's missiles "at source", he added.
From BBC
Third, if you do confront the team, you need conflict-management skills: How will you approach the problem without putting people on the defensive?
Meanwhile RAF F-35 jets and Typhoons based in Cyprus, along with a squadron of Typhoons based in Qatar, continue to fly over the Middle East as part of a defensive operation.
From BBC
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
