a position of readiness to oppose actual or expected attacktheir unexpectedly harsh words put him on the defensive
their unexpectedly harsh words put him on the defensive
guards
alerts, lookouts, qui vives, watches
offensives
英语同义词词典收录了63618条英语词条，基本涵盖了全部常用同义词或反义词的辨析及翻译，是英语学习的有利工具。