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
-
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
The SAT: Words to Capture Tone, List 1
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Some Tricky Homonyms
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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.
England formed a plan to hit Australia with pace and assembled arguably their most hostile attack in more than 50 years for the trip down under.
From BBC • Jul. 12, 2026
Hong Min, a senior researcher at the Korea Institute for National Unification, said North Korea's latest move reflects Pyongyang's shift to treating the two Koreas as "two hostile states", potentially replacing the previous armistice-based framework.
From Barron's • Jul. 10, 2026
More emotive and more vocal, Djokovic would sometimes receive a hostile reception simply because he had beaten them.
From BBC • Jul. 10, 2026
Yet new research suggests these worlds may not be as hostile to life as they appear.
From Science Daily • Jul. 9, 2026
They did not look hostile, nor were they alarmed—since her two companions were familiar to them—but merely curious.
From "Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH" by Robert C. O'Brien
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.
