Word
defensive
Meanings
Quick to protect yourself from criticism, often by sounding sensitive, irritated, or unwilling to accept blame.
Intended to prevent attack or harm; focused on protection rather than taking action against others.
In sports, aimed at stopping the other team from scoring rather than trying to score yourself.
Definition
Defensive describes behavior or actions meant to protect yourself or your position when you feel threatened or criticized.
Defensive most often describes a reaction to criticism in which someone protects themselves, often by denying fault, justifying their actions, or sounding irritated. It can also describe strategies in sport or conflict that focus on preventing an opponent from succeeding rather than attacking. In both cases, the emphasis is on protection rather than initiative.
Examples
- I tried to raise the issue gently, but he became defensive the moment I mentioned the missed deadline.
- You sound defensive, so perhaps we should pause and come back to this after you have had time to reflect.
- She stayed calm and curious instead of getting defensive when her colleagues questioned the plan.
- They adopted a defensive strategy in the final minutes to protect their narrow lead.
- The coach praised our defensive discipline, even though our attack lacked creativity.
Common mistake
Learners often confuse defensive (protecting yourself or your team) with defiant (openly resisting or refusing to obey).
More at C1 level
- ubiquitous Present, appearing, or found everywhere at the same time.
- xenophobia Xenophobia is a strong dislike or fear of people from other countries or cultures.
- genocide Genocide is the deliberate killing of a large number of people from a particular group in order to …
- conundrum A conundrum is a confusing and difficult problem to solve.
- pretentious Trying to seem more important, intelligent, or cultured than you really are.
More adjectives
- agnostic An agnostic is someone who does not claim to know whether God exists.
- pragmatic Pragmatic means focused on practical results rather than ideals or theories.
- ubiquitous Present, appearing, or found everywhere at the same time.
- cynical Cynical describes believing that people are mainly motivated by self-interest and not sincere.
- apathetic Apathetic means showing little or no interest, concern, or enthusiasm.