Defensive

How to spell defensive

9 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce defensive

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does defensive mean?

1. adjectiveServing or intended to protect against attack, harm, or criticism.
2. adjectiveQuick to justify oneself or resist when feeling criticised.

Defensive in a sentence

• The company took a defensive stance to protect its market share.

• He became defensive the moment his report was questioned.

• The castle was built with thick defensive walls.

• Her defensive tone made the feedback meeting tense.

Where does defensive come from?

Language of origin: Latin

The word traces back to the Latin verb defendere, which literally meant 'to ward off' or 'to strike away', formed from the prefix de- (off, away) and the verb fendere (to strike or hit). From defendere came the medieval Latin adjective defensivus, describing anything serving to protect or repel. English took the word in during the late 1300s through Old French defensif, where it kept its sense of guarding against attack. The same fendere root, which never survived as a standalone English word, also hides inside 'fence', 'offend', and 'defend', so the s in defensive echoes the noun 'defense'. Remembering that defensive is built on the same family as 'defend' explains why it carries an s rather than the c some writers expect.

How the word is built

• de- (off, away)
• fens (from Latin fendere: to strike, ward off)
• -ive (adjective suffix forming 'tending to')