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Offensive vs Belligerent - What's the difference?

offensive | belligerent | Synonyms |

As adjectives the difference between offensive and belligerent

is that offensive is causing offense; arousing a visceral reaction of disgust, anger, or hatred while belligerent is engaged in warfare, warring.

As nouns the difference between offensive and belligerent

is that offensive is an attack while belligerent is a state or other armed participant in warfare.

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

    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.

    belligerent

    English

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • Engaged in warfare, warring.
  • Eager to go to war, warlike.
  • Of or pertaining to war.
  • (By extension) Aggressively hostile, eager to fight.
  • violently towards others.
  • Synonyms

    * (eager to fight) aggressive, antagonistic, bellicose, combative, contentious, pugnacious, quarrelsome, truculent

    Derived terms

    * belligerently * cobelligerent

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A state or other armed participant in warfare
  • The U.N. sent a treaty proposal to the belligerents .

    See also

    * warmonger ----