OFFENSIVES Synonyms: 59 Similar and Opposite Words

offensives

noun

plural of offensive

as in attacks

the act or action of setting upon with force or violence the primary offensive by the ground forces will commence at dawn tomorrow

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of offensives However, further Houthi offensives have met stiffer resistance from the recuperated forces of the Presidential Leadership Council, depriving the group of another quick victory. — Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 4 Oct. 2026 With alarm bells ringing over potential Russian offensives — both digital and kinetic — in the coming months, vulnerable European nations must figure out if, and how, to respond. — Rafi Schwartz, TheWeek, 28 Sep. 2026 However, Iran analysts are highly skeptical that Tehran will prove capable of launching any such large-scale ground offensives any time soon. — Paul Iddon, Forbes.com, 27 July 2026 Israel’s ongoing offensives have become a wedge issue for Jewish and non-Jewish Americans, leading to protests and raising antisemitism fears and questions about America’s close ties to Israel. — David Crary, Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2026 Countries are scrambling not to fall behind in AI — and French President Emmanuel Macron and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi are leading a personal charm offensives to court tech CEOs. — Kai Nicol-Schwarz,priyanka Salve, CNBC, 4 July 2026 Since the army broke the siege on el-Obeid last year, the RSF has launched multiple offensives in attempts to reestablish the siege from several directions. — ABC News, 24 June 2026 By targeting logistics hubs and resource stockpiles, Ukraine is attacking the systems that sustain Russian offensives. — Aidan Stretch, CBS News, 9 June 2026 The twin offensives are targeting Hamas and Hezbollah respectively, though critics argue that the operations are motivated at least in part by domestic politics — Israel is due to hold elections by October — and are amplifying troubling humanitarian situations in Gaza and Lebanon. — Prashant Rao, semafor.com, 29 May 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for offensives

Noun

In Congo, where the outbreak has spread to seven provinces, responders have faced attacks on health teams, misinformation about the virus, a failure by locals to report symptoms and rebel violence that has limited access to treatment centers.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 7 Oct. 2026
The question also raised the recent spread of controversies over individual films into attacks on cast and crew and campaigns to halt screenings.

— Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of attacks

Noun

Coleman recalled a recent New York Times article that highlighted how immigration raids this summer — which surpassed 50,000 arrests in July and August — received little public backlash compared to last year’s wave.

— Andrea Flores, Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2026
In the United States, meanwhile, cities have come under siege by federal authorities carrying out sweeping anti-migrant raids.

— Ishaan Tharoor, New Yorker, 30 Sep. 2026

Definition of raids

Noun

Over the same period, CATS reported 10 assaults, or less than four per every 10 million passenger trips, on the light rail, data CATS submitted to the federal government shows.

— Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 7 Oct. 2026
Moscow and Kyiv have intensified their aerial assaults as progress along the 750-mile front line has largely ground to a halt.

— HANNA ARHIROVA, Arkansas Online, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of assaults

Noun

In August 2024, seven more former union executives and employees — including Jones, his wife and son — were indicted for conspiracy to commit offenses under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, as well as other felonies.

— Judy L. Thomas, Kansas City Star, 1 Oct. 2026
Five British men in their 20s were arrested Sunday on suspicion of explosives offenses and planning an act of terror, before being released on bail a day later.

— ABC News, ABC News, 30 Sep. 2026

Definition of offenses

Noun

In fact, reported evidence suggests this software commitment (from a company making its revenue from hardware) has been crucial to Nvidia’s success in fending off onslaughts from other hardware vendors such as Intel.

— Nisha Talagala, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2026
Ukraine has been largely helpless in similar Russian onslaughts in recent weeks.

— Tom Bowman, NPR, 4 Aug. 2026

Definition of onslaughts

Noun

As quotas for immigration arrests increased that spring, he was asked to press felony charges for even minor aggressions against agents.

— Emily Witt, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026
The United States deploys about 28,500 troops in South Korea as deterrence against potential aggressions from North Korea.

— ABC News, ABC News, 6 Aug. 2026

Definition of aggressions

Noun

Then the botched attempts to lethally inject her became the dominant story.

— Michael Ruiz , Ashley Papa, FOXNews.com, 2 Oct. 2026
The trio of Eller with Brady Tkachuk and Sam Reinhard on his wings held its own with a 6-5 edge over the Sharks in shot attempts and 3-2 edge in shots on goal over about six minutes of ice time at five-on-five.

— Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of attempts

Noun

Of course, amid the rise of streaming movies in the home coming out of the pandemic, followed by the 2023 Los Angeles writers and actors strikes, getting film lovers back into the Cranford Theater remained a challenge.

— Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 3 Oct. 2026
Bryan’s pro-Palestinian stage gesture adds to a noticeable shift among mainstream artists speaking openly about their support for Palestinians amid Israel’s ongoing strikes on Gaza.

— Alexandra Del Rosario, Los Angeles Times, 3 Oct. 2026

Definition of strikes

Browse Nearby Words

offensiveness

offensives

offer

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Offensives.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/offensives. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of offensives

noun

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

inscrutable

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Popular in Wordplay

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 9

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

Popular

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes