Meanings
nounoffensiveness (countable and uncountable, plural offensivenesses)
plural offensivenesses
- countableuncountableThe quality of being offensive.
Some slurs like “slut” and “retard” vary in their perceived offensiveness to those polled, but also include some incredibly offensive words like the “N-word.”
2011 September 21, Erica Ho, “Poll Finds Young People Aren’t Bothered by Slurs Used Online”, in Time, archived from the original on 18 Sep 2019
Synonyms & antonyms
Also see
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
Cite this entry
APA
offensiveness. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/offensiveness
MLA
“offensiveness.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/offensiveness. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “offensiveness,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/offensiveness.
Source: offensiveness on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.