defensive vs rearguard

defensive

noun
  • A means, attitude or position of defense. 

adj
  • Intended for defence; protective. 

  • In a state or posture of defense. 

  • Of a bowling or fielding tactic designed to prevent the other side from scoring runs; of a batting tactic designed to prevent being out. 

  • Performed so as to minimise risk. 

  • Displaying an inordinate sensitivity to criticism or intrusion; oversensitive; thin-skinned. 

  • Pertaining to defense, as opposed to attack. 

  • Intended to deter attack. 

rearguard

noun
  • The defence, collectively the defenders. 

  • The rearmost part of a force, especially a detachment of troops that protect the rear of a retreating force. 

How often have the words defensive and rearguard occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )