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Bad vs Offensive - What's the difference?

bad | offensive | Synonyms |

As adjectives the difference between bad and offensive

is that bad is not good; unfavorable; negative while offensive is causing offense; arousing a visceral reaction of disgust, anger, or hatred.

As nouns the difference between bad and offensive

is that bad is error, mistake while offensive is an attack.

As an adverb bad

is badly.

As a verb bad

is form of Alternative past tense|bid|lang=en. See {{l/en|bade|bade}}.

bad

English

(wikipedia bad)

Etymology 1

From (etyl) bad, ).

Adjective

  • Not good; unfavorable; negative.
  • * , chapter=10
    • , title= The Mirror and the Lamp , passage=He looked round the poor room, at the distempered walls, and the bad engravings in meretricious frames, the crinkly paper and wax flowers on the chiffonier; and he thought of a room like Father Bryan's, with panelling, with cut glass, with tulips in silver pots, such a room as he had hoped to have for his own.}}
  • Not suitable or fitting.
  • Seemingly non-appropriate, in manners, etc.
  • * , chapter=7
    • , title= Mr. Pratt's Patients , passage=“[…] if you call my duds a ‘livery’ again there'll be trouble. It's bad enough to go around togged out like a life saver on a drill day, but I can stand that 'cause I'm paid for it. What I won't stand is to have them togs called a livery. […]”}}
  • Unhealthy.
    • Lard is bad'''' for you. Smoking is '''bad''' for you, too. Grapes are '''bad for dogs but not for humans.
  • Tricky; stressful; unpleasant.
  • Evil; wicked.
  • Faulty; not functional.
  • (of food) , rotten, overripe.
  • (of breath) , foul.
  • (informal) Bold and daring.
  • (of a, need or want) Severe, urgent.
    • Usage notes
    The comparative badder and superlative baddest are nonstandard.
    Synonyms
    * (not good) unfavorable, negative * * (not suitable or fitting) * * wicked, evil, vile, vicious * (not functional) faulty * (of food) rotten * (of breath) malodorous, foul * badass * (of a need or want) severe, urgent, dire (to be assigned) * false * spurious * disgusting * wrong * corrupt * ill * base * abandoned * vicious * abominable * detestable * deficient * inferior * lousy * off * poor * punk * substandard * unacceptable * ungodly * unsatisfactory * wanting * wretched * See also
    Antonyms
    * good * right * worthy * competent * benevolent * true * honest * just * sincere * beneficial * advantageous * profitable * virtuous * reputable * upright * propitious * choice * excellent * exceptional * first-class * first-rate * premium * prime * superior * adequate * sufficient
    See also
    * astray * base * bum * contemptible * defective * despicable * dirty * execrable * faulty * flawed * inadequate * insufficient * lacking * lesser * low-grade * mediocre * par * reprehensible * scurrilous * second-rate * under * unspeakable * useless * valueless * villainous * worthless
    Derived terms
    * bad actor * bad apple * bad beat * bad blood * bad boy * bad breath * bad check * bad debt * baddie * bad egg * bad ending * bad eye * bad fairy * bad faith * bad for you * bad guy * bad hair day * bad hat * bad iron * bad joke * bad language * bad light * bad lot * bad luck * bad man * bad-mannered * bad manners * bad medicine * bad money * bad-mouth * badness * bad news * bad off * bad penny * bad-tempered * Bad Thing * bad to the bone * go bad * not bad * too bad

    Adverb

  • Badly.
    • I didn't do too bad in the last exam.

    Noun

    (-)
  • (slang) error, mistake
    • Sorry, my bad !
  • * '>citation
  • *
  • *
  • (countable, uncountable, economics) An item (or kind of item) of merchandise with negative value; an unwanted good.
  • * {{quote-book, title=International Economics: Global Markets and Competition
    • , first=Henry , last=Thompson , pageurl=http://books.google.com/books?id=RQeYBbSlXLIC&lpg=PA97&dq=%22economic%20bad%22&pg=PA97
  • v=onepage&q=%22economic%20bad%22&f=false
    • , page=97 , year=2011 , edition=3rd , publisher=World Scientific , passage=Imports are an economic good but exports an economic bad . Exports must be produced but are enjoyed by foreign consumers. }}
  • * {{quote-book, title=Economics
    • , author=William J. Boyes, Michael Melvin , pageurl=http://books.google.com/books?id=LgaZaie5V1YC&lpg=PA4&dq=bads&pg=PA4
  • v=onepage&q=bads&f=false
    • , page=4 , year=2011 , edition=9th , publisher=Cengage Learning , passage=An economic bad' is anything that you would pay to get rid of. It is not so hard to think of examples of ' bads : pollution, garbage, and disease fit the description. }}

    Etymology 2

    Probably identical to bad , etymology 1, above, especially in the sense "bold, daring".

    Adjective

    (badder)
  • (rfm-sense) (slang) Fantastic.
    • You is (SIC) bad , man!
    Also Bek is "bad " at Madden.

    Etymology 3

    From (etyl) .

    Verb

    (head)
  • (archaic) .

    • Etymology 4

    Verb

    (badd)
  • (British, dialect, transitive) To shell (a walnut).
  • * 1876 , The Gloucester Journal'', Oct. 7, 1876, reported in William John Thomas, Doran (John), Henry Frederick Turle, Joseph Knight, Vernon Horace Rendall, Florence Hayllar, ''Notes and Queries , page 346
    • A curious specimen of Gloucestershire dialect c»me out in an assault case heard by the Gloucester court magistrates on Saturday. One of the witnesses, speaking of what a girl was doing at the time the assault took place, said she was ' badding' ' walnuts in a pigstye. The word is peculiarly provincial : to ' '''bad''' ' walnuts is to strip away the husk. The walnut, too, is often called » 'bannut,' and hence the old Gloucestershire phrase, ' Come an' ' bad the bannuts.'

    Statistics

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    Anagrams

    * English contranyms English suppletive adjectives English three-letter words 1000 English basic words ----

    offensive

    English

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • Causing offense; arousing a visceral reaction of disgust, anger, or hatred.
  • Relating to an offense or attack, as opposed to defensive.
  • * {{quote-magazine, date=2013-06-07, author= Ed Pilkington
    • , volume=188, issue=26, page=6, magazine=(The Guardian Weekly) , title= ‘Killer robots’ should be banned in advance, UN told , passage=In his submission to the UN, [Christof] Heyns points to the experience of drones. Unmanned aerial vehicles were intended initially only for surveillance, and their use for offensive purposes was prohibited, yet once strategists realised their perceived advantages as a means of carrying out targeted killings, all objections were swept out of the way.}}
  • Having to do with play directed at scoring.

    • Usage notes

    * Nouns to which "offensive" is often applied: content, material, language, word, comment, remark, statement, speech, joke, humor, image, picture, art, behavior, conduct, act, action. * When the second syllable is emphasized, "offensive" is defined as "insulting". When the first syllable is emphasized, it refers to the attacker of a conflict or the team in a sport who possesses the ball.

    Synonyms

    * aggressive * invidious (Intending to cause envious offense)

    Antonyms

    * inoffensive (not causing offense or disgust ) * defensive (relating or causing defence )

    Derived terms

    * offensiveness

    Related terms

    * offend

    Noun

  • (countable, military) An attack.
    • The Marines today launched a major offensive .
  • (uncountable) The posture of attacking or being able to attack.
    • He took the offensive in the press, accusing his opponent of corruption.

    External links

    * * ----