Definition of "defensive" []

• Intended or appropriate for defending; protective. (adjective)
• Intended to withstand or deter aggression or attack: a defensive weapons system; defensive behavior. (adjective)
• Of or relating to the effort to prevent an opponent from gaining points in a game or athletic contest. (adjective)
• Performed so as to avoid risk, danger, or legal liability: defensive driving; defensive medicine, (adjective)
• Of or relating to defense. (adjective)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• ""No toughness, no championship," he said, repeating one of his go-to tenets—and the phrase defensive end Justin Tuck whispered to his should've-been-hobbled coach that Christmas Eve night when the up-and-down Giants finally seemed to find themselves."
• "The term defensive driving has taken on a new definition as street conditions continue to deteriorate."
• "Jancek joined Georgia's staff in 2005 and was given the title defensive co-coordinator before this season after turning down a coordinator position at South Florida."