défensive
French, adjective\de.fɑ̃.siv\
défensive is spelled D-É-F-E-N-S-I-V-E (9 letters) and appears 4.9 times per million words in written French, the 11,366th most frequent French word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). Défensive is a French feminine adjective meaning “feminine singular of défensif” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
What does défensive mean in English?
adjective
- 1
femininefeminine singular of défensif
Source: English Wiktionary, French section, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0).
How French dictionaries define it
noun: 1. Disposition à se défendre, à ne faire simplement que se défendre.
The definition in the French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire), in French.
Source: French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire), dump of September 1, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org.
Forms of défensive
- défensives plural
Source: English Wiktionary and French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire) (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026).
How do you pronounce défensive?
- \de.fɑ̃.siv\
Sources: English Wiktionary, French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire) (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026); recordings from Wikimedia Commons.
How common is défensive in French?
défensive appears 4.9 times per million words in written French.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).