offensiveness
Quality of insulting
Offensiveness is the quality of causing displeasure, resentment, or moral outrage.
Something has offensiveness when it violates social norms, insults people, or transgresses ethical boundaries.
The term often appears in discussions about speech, humor, or media content: The offensiveness of his remarks got him fired.
Offensiveness is highly contextual—what registers as deeply offensive in one culture or era may be unremarkable in another.
People sometimes debate whether offensiveness resides in the content itself or in the reaction of those who encounter it.
Offensive coarseness in manner
- coarsenessRough or vulgar quality
- obscenityIndecent word or act
- lewdnessCrude sexual indecency
- profanityVulgar or obscene speech
raunchiness · ribaldry · bawdiness · filthiness · smuttiness · indelicacy · grossness · uncouthness
Scornful disregard
- contemptDisdainful disregard
- scornHostile dismissive feeling
- derisionContemptuous mockery
- disparagementCriticism meant to diminish
belittlement · deprecation · denigration · ridicule · mockery · snubbing · insolence · impertinence
Extreme offensiveness or absurdity
- appallingInspiring horror or disgust
- revulsionIntense physical disgust
- horrorExtreme fear or disgust
- disgustIntense physical aversion
scandal · impropriety · indecency · transgression · taboo · unspeakable · unacceptable · egregious
Antagonistic disposition toward others
- belligerenceWarlike aggression
- combativenessInclination toward conflict
- antagonismActive opposition or hostility
- pugnacityInclination to quarrel
confrontation · provocation · intimidation · truculence · militancy · contentiousness · forcefulness · agitation
vulgarity
Offensive coarseness in manner
- coarsenessRough or vulgar quality
- obscenityIndecent word or act
- lewdnessCrude sexual indecency
profanity · raunchiness · ribaldry · bawdiness · filthiness · smuttiness · indelicacy · grossness · uncouthness · boorishness
disdain
Scornful disregard
disparagement · belittlement · deprecation · denigration · ridicule · mockery · snubbing · insolence · impertinence · condescension
outrageousness
Extreme offensiveness or absurdity
disgust · scandal · impropriety · indecency · transgression · taboo · unspeakable · unacceptable · egregious · unconscionable
hostility
Antagonistic disposition toward others
- belligerenceWarlike aggression
- combativenessInclination toward conflict
- antagonismActive opposition or hostility
pugnacity · confrontation · provocation · intimidation · truculence · militancy · contentiousness · forcefulness · agitation · warfare
slur
Insulting group label
gibe · put-down · indignity · aspersion · insinuation · sarcasm · vitriol · invective · abuse · name-calling
- audacityboldness, brazenness, audacity, chutzpah, gall
- disgustdisgust, disgusting, disgusted, revulsion, repulsion
- tackinesstackiness, gaudiness, garishness, tawdriness, trashiness
- wrongdoingscrime, crimes, sin, sins, wrongdoing
offensivenessinoffensiveness
State of causing no displeasure
politeness · tact · courtesy · respectfulness · civility
offensivenesspleasantness
Quality of being agreeable
agreeableness · beauty · charm · attractiveness · appeal
offensivenessharmlessness
Inability to cause damage
innocuousness · benignity · inoffensiveness · fairness · righteousness
offense, offensive, offend, offender, defensive, inoffensive, offenses, offensively, unoffensive