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defensive
[ dih-fen-siv ]
adjective
- serving to defend; protective:
defensive armament.
- made or carried on for the purpose of resisting attack:
defensive treaty;
a defensive attitude.
- of or relating to defense.
- (of stocks, securities, etc.)
- 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.
- considered stable and relatively safe for investment, especially during a decline in the economy.
- excessively concerned with guarding against the real or imagined threat of criticism, injury to one's ego, or exposure of one's shortcomings.
noun
- a position or attitude of defense:
to be on the defensive about one's mistakes.
- Obsolete. something that serves to defend.
defensive
/ ɪˈɛԲɪ /
adjective
- intended, suitable, or done for defence, as opposed to offence
- rejecting criticisms of oneself or covering up one's failings
noun
- a position of defence
- on the defensivein an attitude or position of defence, as in being ready to reject criticism
Derived Forms
- ˈڱԲԱ, noun
- ˈڱԲ, adverb
Other Word Forms
- ·ڱ·· adverb
- ·ڱ··Ա noun
- ԴDz··ڱ· adjective
- non··ڱ·· adverb
- ···ڱ· adjective
- o·ver··ڱ·· adverb
- ···ڱ· adjective
- sem·i··ڱ·· adverb
- ܲ··ڱ· adjective
- un··ڱ·· adverb
Word History and Origins
Origin of defensive1
Idioms and Phrases
see on the defensive .Example Sentences
Having previously played running back, wide receiver, offensive line, defensive line and safety meant that he knew what almost everyone else on the field was trying to do.
Stars from the reality television show Love On The Spectrum went on the defensive after Robert F Kennedy Jr commented that people with autism make limited contributions to society.
There was a lot of focus with the big men up front, with nine defensive linemen — beginning with No. 3 pick Abdul Carter of Penn State — and eight offensive linemen selected.
Hunter has also been playing as a cornerback and wide receiver, and won not just last year's awards for best defensive player and best receiver - he clinched the Heisman too.
With the Trump administration slashing budgets and threatening to revoke tax-exempt status for nonprofits, some Southern California social justice organizations have gone into a defensive crouch, hoping to wait out the passing storm.
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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.
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