offensively C2+ Topic:Describing Qualities US /əˈfɛnsɪvli/ UK /əˈfɛnsɪvli/ See IPA manual Meanings 1 adv in a way that causes offense; or in an attacking manner He spoke so offensively that several guests left the dinner early. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 adv · in a way that causes... insultinglyrudelyaggressivelydisagreeablyabusively ↔ Opposites inoffensivelydefensivelypleasantly Word family Related forms offendoffenseoffensive Etymology AI details From offensive (from Medieval Latin offensivus, from Latin offendere, 'to strike against') plus the adverbial suffix -ly. offendere Latin fendere Latin View etymology graph -> Topics Describing Qualities Word Formation & Derivatives External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # offensively **Type:** Word **Level:** C2+ **Part of speech:** adv **IPA (US):** /əˈfɛnsɪvli/ **IPA (UK):** /əˈfɛnsɪvli/ ## Meanings 1. in a way that causes offense; or in an attacking manner ## Examples - He spoke so offensively that several guests left the dinner early. ## Synonyms - insultingly - rudely - aggressively - disagreeably - abusively ## Antonyms - inoffensively - defensively - pleasantly ## Related Forms - offend - offense - offensive ## Roots and Affixes - Root: offendere - Root: fendere ## Etymology From offensive (from Medieval Latin offensivus, from Latin offendere, 'to strike against') plus the adverbial suffix -ly. ## AI Etymology Offensively is from offensive (from Medieval Latin offensivus, from Latin offendere, 'to strike against') plus the adverbial suffix -ly. Important recorded forms include offendere (Latin) and fendere (Latin). The modern sense follows that older lexical line closely. In current use it covers in a way that causes offense; or in an attacking manner. The wider family includes related words such as offend, offense, and offensive. ## Topics - Describing Qualities - Word Formation & Derivatives markdown