hostile
Americanadjective
-
of, relating to, or characteristic of an enemy.
a hostile nation.
- Synonyms:
- aggressive, warlike
- Antonyms:
- friendly
-
opposed in feeling, action, or character; antagonistic.
hostile criticism.
- Antonyms:
- friendly
-
characterized by antagonism.
- Antonyms:
- sympathetic
-
not friendly, warm, or generous; not hospitable.
noun
-
hostiles
plural
-
a person or thing that is antagonistic or unfriendly.
-
Military. an enemy soldier, plane, ship, etc.
adjective
-
antagonistic; opposed
-
of or relating to an enemy
-
unfriendly
noun
Synonym Usage
Hostile, inimical indicate that which characterizes an enemy or something injurious to one's interests. Hostile applies to the spirit, attitude, or action of an enemy: They showed a hostile and menacing attitude. Inimical applies to an antagonistic or injurious tendency or influence: Their remarks were inimical to his reputation.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
interhostileadjective
-
nonhostileadjective
-
overhostileadjective
-
prehostileadjective
-
semihostileadjective
-
unhostileadjective
-
hostilelyadverb
-
nonhostilelyadverb
-
overhostilelyadverb
-
semihostilelyadverb
-
unhostilelyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of hostile
First recorded in 1585–95; from Latin hostīlis, equivalent to hostis “enemy” ( see host 2) + -īlis -ile
Explanation
If something is hostile, it's unfriendly. If you are zealous about the political causes you believe in, you will be hostile to any suggestion that the other side of the argument is reasonable. Hostile comes from the Latin word hostis, for enemy, and you can hear its relation to the word hostage. But you don't have to be from a warring nation to be hostile. You can talk about a hostile nation, a hostile takeover, a hostile remark, or a hostile attitude. Some synonyms are inimical, antagonistic, unfavorable, unfriendly.
Vocabulary lists containing hostile
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The Watsons Go to Birmingham
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
His idea sounds less wild when you recall that we’re really talking about small communities being targeted by hostile foreign actors, leading Braun to reason that the Department of Defense could possibly fund his effort.
From Slate ● Aug. 19, 2026
McDonald got combative on the stand and told the court to treat him as a "hostile witness" over his refusal to answer some questions.
From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026
"We are significantly strengthening our ability to respond to hostile drones," German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said at the opening of the centre, which will focus on detecting and identifying unmanned aerial vehicles.
From Barron's ● Aug. 18, 2026
Chancellor of the Exchequer John Healey against making a more hostile tax environment for banks, according to the Financial Times.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 17, 2026
This feels hostile, sounds like he’s upset about so much more than just these flyers.
From "Betty Before X" by Ilyasah Shabazz and Renée Watson
Meanwhile, around 3,000 Pakistanis have left Iran since hostiles began.
From BBC ● Jun. 20, 2025
Another 2020, another arrival from extraterrestrial hostiles, this time with the ability to hunt with surgical precision based on nothing but sound.
From The Guardian ● Jan. 6, 2020
The kitchen loves its star patty so much that the cooks sometimes act as if they’re protecting it from hostiles — or the condiments Jaffe mentioned.
From Washington Post ● Aug. 20, 2018
“What is not so clear to him is how firmly he can trust the United States’ commitment to ending hostiles relations and providing security guarantees for his government should it denuclearize.”
From New York Times ● May 26, 2018
And even though there weren’t supposed to be any hostiles in the manor, she found her gun hand automatically straying to the Neutrino 2000.
From "Artemis Fowl" by Eoin Colfer
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
