be offensive

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

There was also the news that council districts in Northern England had instructed schoolteachers not to encourage children in classrooms to draw any pictures that might be offensive to Muslims.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 16, 2026

Offensive line coach Zach Hanson was pursued heavily by his alma mater, Kansas State, to be offensive coordinator under new coach Collin Klein, who Hanson considers to be one of his closest friends.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 13, 2026

And of course you can swear in any language, and it would still be offensive to some.

From BBC • Oct. 8, 2024

Spectrum WT sued, arguing that drag wasn’t designed to be offensive and portraying it as a celebration of many things, including “queerness, gender, acceptance, love and especially femininity.”

From Seattle Times • Mar. 15, 2024

But what if, in reality, without the least desire to be offensive, that sheepshead had a notion in earnest that he was superior to me and could only look at me in a patronizing way?

From White Nights and Other Stories The Novels of Fyodor Dostoevsky, Volume X by Dostoyevsky, Fyodor