hostility

hos·til·i·ty

noun \hä-ˈsti-lə-tē\

plural hos·til·i·ties

Definition of HOSTILITY

1

a : deep-seated usually mutual ill will

b (1) : hostile action (2) plural : overt acts of warfare : war

2

: conflict, opposition, or resistance in thought or principle

Examples of HOSTILITY

1. They were both glad to have gotten through the divorce proceedings without any visible signs of hostility.
2. The townspeople showed open hostility to outsiders.
3. Peace talks were stalled after recent hostilities.
4. Both sides are calling for a cessation of hostilities.

First Known Use of HOSTILITY

15th century

Related to HOSTILITY

Synonyms

animosity, animus, antagonism, antipathy, bad blood, bitterness, gall, grudge, enmity, jaundice, rancor

Antonyms

amity

Related Words

blood feud, feud, score, vendetta; hate, hatred, loathing; vindictiveness, virulence, vitriol; alienation, disaffection, estrangement; conflict, coolness, discord, friction, strain, tension; inhospitableness, unfriendliness; malice, malignancy, malignity, spite, spitefulness, venom

Near Antonyms

amiability, amicability, civility, cordiality, friendliness, hospitality, neighborliness; comity, empathy, friendship, goodwill, sympathy, understanding

See Synonym Discussion at enmity

Other Military Terms

bivouac, logistics, petard, salient, sally, supernumerary, tactical

Rhymes with HOSTILITY

ability, agility, anility, civility, debility, docility, ductility, facility, fertility, fragility, futility, gentility, gracility, humility, lability, mobility, motility, nobility, nubility, scurrility, sectility, servility, stability, sterility, suability, tactility, utility, vagility, virility

hos·til·i·ty

noun \hä-ˈstil-ət-ē\   (Medical Dictionary)

plural hos·til·i·ties

Medical Definition of HOSTILITY

: conflict, opposition, or resistance in thought or principle

—hos·tile \ˈhäs-t^əl, -ˌtīl\ adjective