unfriendliness

C2+ Topic:Describing Qualities

US /ʌnˈfrɛndlinəs/ UK /ʌnˈfrɛndlinəs/ See IPA manual

noun

Meanings

1

noun
the quality of being unwelcoming or hostile

The town's unfriendliness toward strangers was notorious.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · the quality of being... hostility coldnessunsociabilityaloofness antagonism inhospitality

Opposites

friendliness warmth cordiality amiability hospitality

Word family

Related forms friendly unfriendly friend

Etymology

From unfriendly (un- 'not' + friendly, from Old English frēondlīc) + -ness; ultimately from frēond ('friend').

un- Old English frēondlīc Old English frēond Old English

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities Word Formation & Derivatives

# unfriendliness

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** ʌnˈfrɛndlinəs
**IPA (UK):** ʌnˈfrɛndlinəs

## Meanings
1. the quality of being unwelcoming or hostile

## Examples
- The town's unfriendliness toward strangers was notorious.

## Synonyms
- hostility
- coldness
- unsociability
- aloofness
- antagonism
- inhospitality

## Antonyms
- friendliness
- warmth
- cordiality
- amiability
- hospitality

## Related Forms
- friendly
- unfriendly
- friend

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: un-
- Root: frēondlīc
- Root: frēond

## Etymology
From unfriendly (un- 'not' + friendly, from Old English frēondlīc) + -ness; ultimately from frēond ('friend').

## AI Etymology
Unfriendliness is from unfriendly (un- 'not' + friendly, from Old English frēondlīc) + -ness; ultimately from frēond ('friend'). Important recorded forms include un- (Old English), frēondlīc (Old English), and frēond (Old English). Morphologically, the un- element marks negation, reversal, removal, or deprivation, while the base supplies the action, quality, or state being denied or undone. The modern sense is largely compositional, with the historical elements narrowing into a stable English lexical item. In current use it covers the quality of being unwelcoming or hostile. The wider family includes related words such as friendly, unfriendly, and friend.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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unfriendliness

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