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Offensive vs Ribald - What's the difference?

offensive | ribald |

As nouns the difference between offensive and ribald

is that offensive is offensive (posture of attacking or being able to attack) while ribald is an individual who is filthy or vulgar in nature.

As an adjective ribald is

coarsely, vulgarly, or lewdly amusing; referring to sexual matters in a rude or irreverent way.

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.

    ribald

    English

    Alternative forms

    * ribauld (rare)

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • Coarsely, vulgarly, or lewdly amusing; referring to sexual matters in a rude or irreverent way.
  • * 1693 , :
  • [L]et no zealous Christian trust the rogue,—the filthy ribald rascal is a liar.
  • * 1875 , May 15, Anonymous, " :
  • But when he died the "Reform Democracy" instinctively returned to its vomit of ribald insult.
  • * 1888 , ", Can Such Things Be?'' (Pub. 1893):Originally published in the ''San Francisco Examiner'' on June 24, 1888, and later included in ''Can Such Things Be?'' and ''Present at a Hanging and Other Ghost Stories .
  • [T]he curious crowd had collected in the street , with here and there a scoffer uttering his incredulity and courage with scornful remarks or ribald cries.

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • An individual who is filthy or vulgar in nature.
  • * 1483 [1900 edition], :
  • After, he made an harlot, a ribald , come to him alone for to touch his members and his body, to move to lechery.

    References

    Anagrams

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