of ‧ fend ‧ ing /əˈfendɪŋ/ BrE AmE adjective [only before noun]
[ Word Family: noun : OFFENSE/OFFENSE , ↑ offender , ↑ offensive , ↑ offensiveness ; adjective : ↑ offensive ≠ ↑ inoffensive , ↑ offended , ↑ offending ; verb : ↑ offend ; adverb : ↑ offensively ]
1 . the offending ... the thing that is causing a problem – often used humorously:
I decided to have the offending tooth removed.
2 . relating to or guilty of an illegal offence:
offending behaviour
the offending vehicle
3 . making people feel angry or insulted SYN offensive :
his offending remarks