The meaning of DEFENSIVE is serving to defend or protect. How to use defensive in a sentence.

If someone is defensive, the person feels criticized and quickly tries to explain:

Definition of defensive adjective from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. protecting somebody/something against attack. As a defensive measure he built a series of coastal forts and …

1. serving or done for the purpose of resisting attack. 2. of or pertaining to defense. 3. sensitive to the threat of criticism or injury to one's ego. n. 4. a position or attitude of defense: on the defensive about …

Apr 3, 2026 · Adjective defensive (comparative more defensive, superlative most defensive) Intended for defence; protective.

Defensive definition: Of or relating to defense.

Defensive refers to any action, behavior, state, strategy, or mechanism intended to protect or prevent harm, injury, or attack. It typically involves measures or tactics used to guard against something …

Of the nature of defense; consisting in resisting attack or aggression: as, defensive war, in distinction from offensive war, which is aggressive. In a state or posture to defend: as, a defensive attitude. …

DEFENSIVE definition: serving to defend; protective. See examples of defensive used in a sentence.

Someone who is defensive is behaving in a way that shows they feel unsure or threatened. Like their children, parents are often defensive about their private lives. She heard the blustering, defensive …