be offensive
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.
There was also the news that council districts in Northern England had instructed schoolteachers not to encourage children in classrooms to draw any pictures that might be offensive to Muslims.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 16, 2026
Yet the BBC did catch and remove a remark by “My Father’s Shadow” director Akinola Davies Jr. that it found to be offensive.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 25, 2026
Spectrum WT sued, arguing that drag wasn’t designed to be offensive and portraying it as a celebration of many things, including “queerness, gender, acceptance, love and especially femininity.”
From Seattle Times • Mar. 15, 2024
"A few participants said they found it funny but seemed embarrassed to say this and could recognise why it would be offensive," the media regulator's report said.
From BBC • Oct. 31, 2023
It is still not customary in Great Britain to address e.g. a well-to-do person engaged in trade as esquire at his shop; it would be offensive not to do so at his private residence.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 9, Slice 7 "Equation" to "Ethics" by Various
