Definitions

defensive

[dih-fen-siv] / dɪˈfɛn sɪv /

ADJECTIVE

protective, watchful

Synonyms

STRONGEST

opposing

STRONG

averting conservative foiling forestalling preservative preventive thwarting

WEAK

arresting balking checking coping with defending frustrating guarding in opposition interrupting protecting resistive safeguarding uptight warding off withstanding

Antonyms

WEAK

undefensive unprotective unwary unwatchful

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Defensive stocks in consumer staples, utilities, and healthcare, with betas larger than -0.1%, tend to gain when the market declines.

From Barron's • Jun. 24, 2026

Defensive excellence has been a big part of the Arsenal title story, with Gabriel and Saliba one of the best central-defensive partnerships in the world.

From BBC • May 19, 2026

Victor Wembanyama became the first player in the history of the NBA to win Defensive Player of the Year by a unanimous vote.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 2, 2026

Buffalo Bills: Cashius Howell, Edge, Texas A&M — SEC Defensive Player of the Year should be a nice complement to newly-acquired Bradley Chubb off the edge.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 22, 2026

Defensive because I certainly didn’t force him to react in this way, which will only make it worse for him, if not me.

From "Every Day" by David Levithan

Vocabulary lists containing defensive

ASVAB Word Knowledge

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ACT Reading Test: Words to Capture Tone, List 2

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Tone and Point of View, List 1

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