hostile

noun

(chiefly in the plural) An enemy.

adjective

Not friendly; appropriate to an enemy; showing the disposition of an enemy; showing ill will and malevolence or a desire to thwart and injure.

Aggressive; antagonistic.

Unwilling.

(not comparable) Being or relating to a hostile takeover.

Roots

hostishost- · Latin · enemy

Synonyms for hostile

unfriendlyadj uncongenialadj inimicaladj antagonisticadj belligerentadj inhospitableadj unsympatheticadj antipatheticadj aggressiveadj truculentadj enemyn unfavorableadj combativeadj bellicoseadj spitefuladj uncooperativeadj warlikeadj hatefuladj

Synonyms & related words for hostile

Find synonyms, related words, and the definition of hostile — including unfriendly, uncongenial, inimical, antagonistic, belligerent, inhospitable. Dendril is a free visual thesaurus that shows them on an interactive map where stronger matches sit closer to the center — no signup, no ads.

Words related to hostile

Explore words related to hostile — words associated with it, words that go with it, and its nearest matches in meaning. Related words include inimically, antipathetical, hostilely, adversarial, adversarially, confrontational, inhospitably, belligerently. Click any word to make it the center of the map and keep exploring the web of connections.

Synonyms for hostile

Common synonyms for hostile include unfriendly, uncongenial, inimical, antagonistic, belligerent, inhospitable, unsympathetic, antipathetic — words that share a close meaning. Hover or tap any word on the map for its definition and part of speech.

Where does hostile come from?

The word hostile breaks down into one root of Latin origin: the root host-, from Latin hostis (“enemy”). Explore each root to see other English words built from the same source.