Offensive describes something that causes hurt feelings, insults people, or shows disrespect. When someone makes an offensive comment about another person's appearance, religion, or background, they're saying something hurtful or insulting. Offensive jokes mock people rather than making everyone laugh together. An offensive smell is one that's so unpleasant it bothers people around you.

The word also has completely different meanings in sports and military contexts. In football, basketball, and soccer, the offense is the team or players trying to score points. A basketball player might play offensive positions, focused on shooting and scoring rather than defending. Military forces might launch an offensive, meaning an organized attack. When a team goes on the offensive, they shift from defending to actively trying to win.

Notice how context matters: being on offense in a game is perfectly fine, but being offensive to another person usually means you've crossed a line from disagreement into disrespect. You can argue with someone's ideas without being offensive to them as a person.