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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Defensive \De*fen"sive\, adjective [Cf. F. d['e]fensif.]
1. Serving to defend or protect; proper for defense; opposed to offensive; as, defensive armor.
A moat defensive to a house. --Shak.
2. Carried on by resisting attack or aggression; -- opposed to offensive; as, defensive war.
3. In a state or posture of defense. --Milton.
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Defensive \De*fen"sive\, noun That which defends; a safeguard.
Wars preventive, upon just fears, are true defensives. --Bacon.
{To be on the defensive}, {To stand on the defensive}, to be or stand in a state or posture of defense or resistance, in opposition to aggression or attack.
From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:
defensive
adjective
1: intended or appropriate for defending against or deterring aggression or attack; "defensive weapons"; "a defensive stance" [ant: {offensive}]
2: attempting to justify or defend in speech or writing [syn: {justificative}, {justificatory}]
3: serving as or appropriate for defending or protecting; "defensive fortifications"; "defensive dikes to protect against floods"
noun: an attitude of defensiveness (especially in the phrase 'on the defensive') [syn: {defensive attitude}]
From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:
22 Moby Thesaurus words for "defensive": covering, custodial, defending, fostering, guardian, guarding, immunizing, parental, preventive, prophylactic, protecting, protective, safeguarding, screening, self-defensive, self-preservative, self-protective, sheltering, shielding, tutelary, vigilant, watchful
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Definitions retrieved from local copies of the freely distributed DICT client/server software and databases. Click here for database copyright information. - KM |