archenemy

noun

arch·​en·​e·​my (ˌ)ärch-ˈe-nə-mē How to pronounce archenemy (audio)
plural archenemies
: a principal enemy

Examples of archenemy in a Sentence

The two politicians were archenemies. The country went to war with its archenemy.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Dennis Quaid stars as a human pilot who’s stranded on a planet with a reptilian archenemy from a hostile planet played by Lou Gossett Jr. Keith Phipps, Vulture, 4 Sep. 2025 In a post on Threads, Gunn teased the return of both David Corenswet's Clark Kent and Nicholas Hoult's Lex Luthor, sharing artwork that shows Superman's archenemy wearing a warsuit. Brendan Morrow, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2025 Andy Samberg is claiming he was not involved in the recent death of his longtime archenemy, Frisbee. Emlyn Travis Updated, EW.com, 27 Aug. 2025 This blend greatly reduces resonance, the archenemy of clarity. Robert Ross, Robb Report, 23 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for archenemy

Word History

First Known Use

1550, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of archenemy was in 1550

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Cite this Entry

“Archenemy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/archenemy. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.

Kids Definition

archenemy

noun
arch·​en·​e·​my (ˈ)ärch-ˈen-ə-mē How to pronounce archenemy (audio)
: a principal enemy

More from Merriam-Webster on archenemy

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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