defensive
Meaning of defensive
- used or intended to defend or protect.
defensive barriers
- very anxious to challenge or avoid criticism.
he was very defensive about that side of his life
late Middle English: from Old French défensif, -ive, from medieval Latin defensivus, from Latin defens- ‘warded off’, from the verb defendere (see defend).
Information about defensive
- It is an adjective.
- Languages in which defensive is used:
(Press the button to hear it)
Hyphenation of defensive
de-fen-sive
- It consists of 3 syllables and 9 chars.
- defensive is a word trisyllabic because it has three syllables
defensive synonyms
Meaning justificative:
Meaning resisting an attack made on someone or something; protecting from harm or danger:
Meaning watch over in order to protect or control:
Meaning protect from harm or damage with an appropriate measure:
Meaning keep safe from harm or injury:
Meaning intended to protect someone or something:
Meaning protect from a danger, risk, or unpleasant experience:
Meaning a showing of a film, video, or television programme:
Meaning feeling or showing caution about possible dangers or problems:
Meaning watching someone or something closely; alert and vigilant:
Meaning turn away (one's eyes or thoughts):
Meaning remain undamaged or unaffected by; resist:
Meaning in conflict or competition with someone or something:
Meaning (especially of a person or an instrument) excessively sensitive:
Meaning covered in prickles:
Meaning characterized by or suffering from the mental condition of paranoia:
Meaning having, caused by, or relating to neurosis:
Meaning anxious or angry in a tense and overly controlled way:
Meaning nervous; anxious:
defensive antonyms
Meaning launching or engaging in a military or violent physical attack:
Meaning feeling or showing confidence in oneself or one's abilities or qualities:
Translation of defensive
- Spanish: defensivo, preventivo
- French: défensif, préventif
- Italian: difensivo
Words that rhyme with defensive
abrasive, airbrasive, appeasive, assuasive, corrasive, defeasive, dissuasive, evasive, interpervasive, invasive, nonabrasive, nonevasive, noninvasive, nonpersuasive, occasive, persuasive, pervasive, preinvasive, prepersuasive, suasive, ultrapersuasive, unabrasive, unassuasive, unevasive, uninvasive, unpersuasive, unpervasive, unpleasive, adhesive, cohesive, cresive, equicohesive, inadhesive, incohesive, inhesive, nonadhesive, noncohesive, overaggresive, semiadhesive, succesive, suppresive, unadhesive, uncohesive, advisive, appraisive, cicatrisive, collisive, decisive, derisive, divisive