defensiveness
noun [ U ] uk/dɪˈfen.sɪv.nəs/ us/dɪˈfen.sɪv.nəs/
戒备心理;自我防卫
speech or behaviour in which someone is very eager to avoid being criticized
"I am assertive," she says, with only a trace of defensiveness. “我很自信，”她说，有点替自己辩护的意思。
He felt a surge of defensiveness, a need to deny or explain. 他忽然很想替自己辩解，觉得需要否认或者解释一下。
- More examples
- He lost some of his defensiveness and Emma began to look less worried.
- The president's defensiveness stems from the fact that the concern about crime is viewed as an attack on the legitimacy of this government.
- These failures have been compounded by official defensiveness and denial.
See: defensive