hostile

C1 Topic:Describing Qualities

US /ˈhɑstəl/ UK /ˈhɒstaɪl/ See IPA manual

Homophones

hostel /ˈhɑstəl/

Freq #6017

Meanings

1

adj
Unfriendly and showing strong dislike or opposition.

The crowd grew hostile when the decision was announced.
2

adj
Very harsh and unsuitable for life or growth.

Few plants can survive in such a hostile desert climate.
3

adj
Belonging to or relating to an enemy in war.

The patrol came under fire from hostile forces.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · unfriendly and showing... inimical unfriendly

2 adj · very harsh and unsuitable... uncongenial

More adverse antagonistic conflicting contentiouscounteractinghateful incompatible inharmonious irreconcilable opposed repugnant

Opposites

cooperative friendly helpful

Word family

Derived forms hostilelyhostilenesshostilizenonhostilesemihostileunhostileuser-hostile

Related forms host hostilely hostility

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

hostile witness
a witness whose hostility or bias works against the party that called them to give evidence

Adjective + noun

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French hostile, from Latin hostīlis, from hostis (“enemy”). Displaced Old English fēondlīċ.

hostile Middle French hostīlis Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities

External links

# hostile

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C1
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** /ˈhɑstəl/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈhɒstaɪl/
**Frequency rank:** 6017

## Meanings
1. Unfriendly and showing strong dislike or opposition.
2. Very harsh and unsuitable for life or growth.
3. Belonging to or relating to an enemy in war.

## Examples
- The crowd grew hostile when the decision was announced.
- Few plants can survive in such a hostile desert climate.
- The patrol came under fire from hostile forces.

## Synonyms
- adverse
- antagonistic
- conflicting
- contentious
- counteracting
- hateful
- incompatible
- inharmonious
- inimical
- irreconcilable
- opposed
- repugnant

## Antonyms
- cooperative
- friendly
- helpful

## Derived Forms
- hostilely
- hostileness
- hostilize
- nonhostile
- semihostile
- unhostile
- user-hostile

## Related Forms
- host
- hostilely
- hostility

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: hostile
- Root: hostīlis

## Etymology
Borrowed from Middle French hostile, from Latin hostīlis, from hostis (“enemy”). Displaced Old English fēondlīċ.

## AI Etymology
Hostile is borrowed from Middle French hostile, from Latin hostīlis, from hostis (“enemy”). Displaced Old English fēondlīċ. In present-day use, it can mean unfriendly and showing strong dislike or opposition, or very harsh and unsuitable for life or growth. Related forms include host, hostilely, hostility. Derived formations include hostilely, hostileness, hostilize, nonhostile, semihostile.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities

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