a. [ Pref. in- not + offensiue: cf. F. inoffensif. ] 1. Giving no offense, or provocation; causing no uneasiness, annoyance, or disturbance; as, an inoffensive man, answer, appearance. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Harmless; doing no injury or mischief. Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Not obstructing; presenting no interruption or hindrance. [ R. ] Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

So have I seen a river gently glide
In a smooth course, and inoffensive tide. Addison.

-- In"of*fen"sive*ly, adv. -- In"of*fen"sive*ness, n. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. See Offense. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ } n. [ F., fr. L. offensa. See Offend. ] 1. The act of offending in any sense; esp., a crime or a sin, an affront or an injury. [ 1913 Webster ]

Who was delivered for our offenses, and was raised again for our justification. Rom. iv. 25. [ 1913 Webster ]

I have given my opinion against the authority of two great men, but I hope without offense to their memories. Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. The state of being offended or displeased; anger; displeasure; as, to cause offense. [ 1913 Webster ]

He was content to give them just cause of offense, when they had power to make just revenge. Sir P. Sidney. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. A cause or occasion of stumbling or of sin. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Woe to that man by whom the offense cometh! Matt. xviii. 7. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. In any contest, the act or process of attacking as contrasted with the act of defending; the offensive; as, to go on the offense. [ PJC ]

5. (Sports) The members of a team who have the primary responsibility to score goals, in contrast to those who have the responsibility to defend, i.e. to prevent the opposing team from scoring goal. [ PJC ]

☞ This word, like expense, is often spelled with a c. It ought, however, to undergo the same change with expense, the reasons being the same, namely, that s must be used in offensive as in expensive, and is found in the Latin offensio, and the French offense. [ 1913 Webster ]

To take offense, to feel, or assume to be, injured or affronted; to become angry or hostile. --
Weapons of offense, those which are used in attack, in distinction from those of defense, which are used to repel. [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- Displeasure; umbrage; resentment; misdeed; misdemeanor; trespass; transgression; delinquency; fault; sin; crime; affront; indignity; outrage; insult. [ 1913 Webster ]

adj. incapable of offending or attacking; harmless.
Syn. -- offenseless. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Offended; p. pr. & vb. n. Offending. ] [ OF. offendre, L. offendere, offensum; ob (see Ob-) + fendere (in comp.) to thrust, dash. See Defend. ] 1. To strike against; to attack; to assail. [ Obs. ] Sir P. Sidney. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To displease; to make angry; to affront. [ 1913 Webster ]

A brother offended is harder to be won than a strong city. Prov. xviii. 19. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. To be offensive to; to harm; to pain; to annoy; as, strong light offends the eye; to offend the conscience. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. To transgress; to violate; to sin against. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Marry, sir, he hath offended the law. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. (Script.) To oppose or obstruct in duty; to cause to stumble; to cause to sin or to fall. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Who hath you misboden or offended. Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

If thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out . . . And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off. Matt. v. 29, 3O. [ 1913 Webster ]

Great peace have they which love thy law, and nothing shall offend them. Ps. cxix. 165. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. 1. To transgress the moral or divine law; to commit a crime; to stumble; to sin. [ 1913 Webster ]

Whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. James ii. 10. [ 1913 Webster ]

If it be a sin to covet honor,
I am the most offending soul alive. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To cause dislike, anger, or vexation; to displease. [ 1913 Webster ]

I shall offend, either to detain or give it. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

To offend against, to do an injury or wrong to; to commit an offense against. “We have offended against the Lord already.” 2 Chron. xxviii. 13. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. An offender. [ R. ] Holland. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who offends; one who violates any law, divine or human; a wrongdoer. [ 1913 Webster ]

I and my son Solomon shall be counted offenders. 1 Kings i. 21. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A woman who offends. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Causing offense; displeasing; wrong; as, an offenseful act. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Unoffending; inoffensive.
Syn. -- offenceless. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. That may give offense. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ OF., fr. L. offensio an offense. ] Assault; attack. [ Obs. ] Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Cf. F. offensif. See Offend. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

1. Giving offense; causing displeasure or resentment; displeasing; annoying; as, offensive words. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Giving pain or unpleasant sensations; disagreeable; revolting; noxious; as, an offensive smell; offensive sounds. “Offensive to the stomach.” Bacon. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Making the first attack; assailant; aggressive; hence, used in attacking; -- opposed to defensive; as, an offensive war; offensive weapons. [ 1913 Webster ]

League offensive and defensive, a leaque that requires all the parties to it to make war together against any foe, and to defend one another if attacked. [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- Displeasing; disagreeable; distasteful; obnoxious; abhorrent; disgusting; impertinent; rude; saucy; reproachful; opprobrious; insulting; insolent; abusive; scurrilous; assailant; attacking; invading. [ 1913 Webster ]

-- Of*fen"sive*ly, adv. -- Of*fen"sive*ness, n. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The state or posture of one who offends or makes attack; aggressive attitude; the act of the attacking party; -- opposed to defensive. [ 1913 Webster ]

To take the offensive,
To act on the offensive,
To go on the offensive, to be the attacking party; to initiate hostilities. [ 1913 Webster +PJC ]

a. Inoffensive. [ 1913 Webster ]

See accommodating.
See aching.
See ailing.
See aiming.
See alarming.
See altering.
See appreciating.
See approving.
See aspiring.
See assisting.
See attempting.
See attending.
See bearing.
See befitting.
See beginning.
See believing.
See bleaching.
See bleeding.
See blemishing.
See blenching.
See blossoming.
See blushing.
See boding.
See branching.
See breathing.
See burning.
See calculating.
See ceasing.
See changing.
See charming.
See communicating.
See complaining.
See complying.
See conceiving.
See conducing.
See confessing.
See conniving.
See consenting.
See considering.
See conspiring.
See consulting.
See consuming.
See contending.
See contriving.
See conversing.
See convincing.
See dawning.
See decaying.
See delaying.
See depending.
See derogating.
See deserving.
See desiring.
See despairing.
See detesting.
See deviating.
See differencing.
See discerning.
See discording.
See discriminating.
See disobliging.
See dispensing.
See dissembling.
See dissolving.
See distinguishing.
See distracting.
See disturbing.
See doubting.
See dreading.
See drooping.
See ebbing.
See echoing.
See edifying.
See ending.
See enduring.
See engaging.
See enjoying.
See entering.
See enterprising.
See entertaining.
See envying.
See existing.
See fadging.
See fading.
See fainting.
See faltering.
See fearing.
See feigning.
See fighting.
See fitting.
See flagging.
See flattering.
See flinching.
See folding.
See forbearing.
See foreboding.
See foreseeing.
See forgiving.
See giving.
See grudging.
See harming.
See heeding.
See hesitating.
See hoping.
See hurting.
See importing.
See imposing.
See improving.
See interesting.
See intermitting.
See intoxicating.
See inviting.
See jarring.
See laboring.
See lingering.
See listening.
See loving.
See meddling.
See meriting.
See mistrusting.
See moving.
See murmuring.
See obliging.
See observing.
See offending.
See opening.
See pardoning.
See paying.
See perceiving.
See performing.
See perishing.
See pitying.
See pleasing.
See possessing.
See preaching.
See prepossessing.
See presuming.
See pretending.
See prevailing.
See prevaricating.
See profiting.
See promising.
See proving.
See quailing.
See questioning.
See reasoning.
See recalling.
See reclining.
See recurring.
See referring.
See reflecting.
See refunding.
See refusing.
See rejoicing.
See relaxing.
See relishing.
See remembering.
See repenting.
See repining.
See reproving.
See repulsing.
See resisting.
See resolving.
See resting.
See returning.
See rewarding.
See sanctifying.
See satisfying.
See searching.
See seeing.
See setting.
See shrinking.
See sinking.
See sleeping.
See slipping.
See slumbering.
See speaking.
See stinting.
See stirring.
See stooping.
See submitting.
See sufficing.
See suiting.
See surging.
See suspecting.
See sweating.
See swerving.
See sympathizing.
See tasting.
See thriving.
See tiring.
See toiling.
See trading.
See trembling.
See trespassing.
See trifling.
See vacillating.
See varying.
See walking.
See wandering.
See waning.
See wasting.
See wavering.
See weeping.
See winking.
See winning.
See withdrawing.
See withering.
See wondering.
See working.
See writing.
See yielding.
----- and the like. [ 1913 Webster ]

The above classes of words are unlimited in extent, and such compounds may be formed by any writer or speaker at will from almost all the adjectives or participles in the language, excepting those which have a recognized and usual negative correspondent with the prefix -in. No attempt will be made, therefore, to define them all in this Dictionary; many will be omitted from its Vocabulary which are negations of the simple word, and are readily explained by prefixing a not to the latter. Derivatives of these words in -ly and -ness will also, for the most part, be omitted for the same or similar reasons. [ 1913 Webster ]

There will be inserted as separate articles with definitions, the following: -- [ 1913 Webster ]

1. Those which have acquired an opposed or contrary, instead of a merely negative, meaning; as, unfriendly, ungraceful, unpalatable, unquiet, and the like; or else an intensive sense more than a prefixed not would express; as, unending, unparalleled, undisciplined, undoubted, unsafe, and the like. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Those which have the value of independent words, inasmuch as the simple words are either not used at all, or are rarely, or at least much less frequently, used; as, unavoidable, unconscionable, undeniable, unspeakable, unprecedented, unruly, and the like; or inasmuch as they are used in a different sense from the usual meaning of the primitive, or especially in one of the significations of the latter; as, unaccountable, unalloyed, unbelieving, unpretending, unreserved, and the like; or inasmuch as they are so frequently and familiarly used that they are hardly felt to be of negative origin; as, uncertain, uneven, and the like. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Those which are anomalous, provincial, or, for some other reason, not desirable to be used, and are so indicated; as, unpure for impure, unsatisfaction for dissatisfaction, unexpressible for inexpressible, and the like. [ 1913 Webster ]

II. Un- is prefixed to nouns to express the absence of, or the contrary of, that which the noun signifies; as, unbelief, unfaith, unhealth, unrest, untruth, and the like. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ Compounds of this last class are given in full in their proper order in the Vocabulary. [ 1913 Webster ]