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Offensive vs Obscenity - What's the difference?

offensive | obscenity |

In uncountable terms the difference between offensive and obscenity

is that offensive is the posture of attacking or being able to attack while obscenity is the qualities that make something obscene; lewdness, indecency, or offensive behaviour.

As nouns the difference between offensive and obscenity

is that offensive is an attack while obscenity is something that is obscene.

As an adjective offensive

is causing offense; arousing a visceral reaction of disgust, anger, or hatred.

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

    * * ----

    obscenity

    English

    Noun

    (obscenities)
  • (countable) Something that is obscene.
    • Martha wouldn't go into the art museum because, as she put it, "They have obscenities just sitting out, on display!"
  • (countable) An act of obscene behaviour.
    • Bestiality was outlawed as an obscenity in the strongly conservative community.
  • (countable) Specifically, an offensive word; a profanity; a dirty word.
    • Eliza couldn't stand her daughter's music; as she saw it, it was just shouted obscenities and a heavy drum beat.
  • (uncountable) The qualities that make something obscene; lewdness, indecency, or offensive behaviour.
    • The coalition of religious conservatives was campaigning against, in their view, rampant obscenity in the entertainment industry.