offending

offending — adjective

1. describes a specific thing that people find annoying, unpleasant, or problematic

1.形容詞B2
釋義

describes a specific thing that people find annoying, unpleasant, or problematic and would rather remove or avoid.

例句

Diego deleted the offending paragraph from his essay before submitting it.

attributive: the offending + noun indicating the problem source

The hotel manager promised to fix the offending air conditioner by the next morning.

同義詞
  • problematic

    more general; can describe situations as well as specific things

  • objectionable

    focuses on being unacceptable, often for moral or social reasons

  • troublesome

    emphasises the effort or difficulty caused by the thing

反義詞
  • welcome

    a welcome addition is wanted rather than unwanted

  • desirable

    a desirable feature is something people want, not something they wish to remove

文法句型

the offending + noun

用法筆記

Almost always used with 'the' before a specific noun naming the source of the problem: the offending + noun. Not used predicatively — say 'This paragraph is causing problems,' not 'This paragraph is offending.'

常見錯誤

❌His comments were offending.
✅His comments were offensive.
💡'offending' as an adjective refers to the thing causing a practical problem, not to something that causes personal insult. Use 'offensive' for that meaning.

2. describes a person, group, or organisation that has committed an illegal act or

2.形容詞B2
釋義

describes a person, group, or organisation that has committed an illegal act or violated a rule or regulation.

例句

The offending driver received a ticket for parking in a disabled space.

attributive: the offending + person (legal/regulatory context)

Élise filed a complaint against the offending company for false advertising.

同義詞
  • guilty

    broader; can describe anyone who has done something wrong, not just legally

  • law-breaking

    more direct and less formal; emphasises the act of breaking the law

  • violating

    focuses on the specific rule or regulation that was broken

反義詞

文法句型

the offending + noun (legal or regulatory context)

用法筆記

Common in legal, regulatory, and official contexts. Typically used with 'the' before a noun describing the violator: the offending party, the offending driver, the offending company. Unlike sense 1, this sense can also describe a person ('the offending driver'), not just an object.

常見錯誤

❌The offending man went to jail.
✅The man who committed the crime went to jail.
💡in legal/formal contexts, 'offending' pairs best with role-based nouns like 'driver', 'company', or 'party', not generic ones like 'man' or 'person'.