friendly

friendly

adjective

Definition of FRIENDLY

1

having or showing kindly feeling and sincere interest <all of the people in my new department seem friendly> <as a friendly gesture, we presented our new neighbors with a plate of homemade cookies>

Synonyms amicable, bonhomous, buddy-buddy, chummy, collegial, companionable, comradely, cordial, genial, hail-fellow, hail-fellow-well-met, hearty, matey [chiefly British], neighborly, palsy, palsy-walsy [slang], warm, warmhearted

Related Words affable, agreeable, approachable, good-natured, good-tempered, gracious, nice, sweet; clubby, convivial, folksy, gregarious, hospitable, sociable, social; jolly, jovial, merry; extroverted (also extraverted), outgoing; brotherly, fraternal, sisterly; close, familiar, intimate; adoring, affectionate, devoted, fond, lovesome, loving, tender, tenderhearted

Near Antonyms alienated, estranged; chilly, cold, cold-blooded, cool, frigid, frosty, glacial, icy, wintry (also wintery); unsociable, unsocial; aggressive, argumentative, bellicose, belligerent, combative, contentious, disputatious, pugnacious, quarrelsome, scrappy, truculent; inhospitable, inimical

Antonyms antagonistic, hostile, unfriendly

2

closely acquainted <we're friendly with our neighbors>

Synonyms bosom, buddy-buddy, chummy, close, especial, friendly, inseparable, intimate, inward, near, thick, tight

Related Words clannish, close-knit, tight-knit; affable, boon, companionable, convivial, cordial, genial, gracious, hearty; gregarious, sociable, social; comfortable, cozy, easy, snug; amicable, neighborly; confidential, secretive; adoring, affectionate, dear, devoted, fond, loving, tender, tenderhearted, warm

Near Antonyms aloof, antisocial, cold, cool, detached, distant, frosty, remote, reserved, standoffish, unfriendly, unsociable, withdrawn

Antonyms distant

3

expressing approval <a friendly sign that our pet project would be approved>

Synonyms admiring, applauding, appreciative, approbatory, approving, commendatory, complimentary, friendly, good, positive

Related Words accepting, warm; encomiastic, eulogistic, flattering, hagiographic (also hagiographical), laudative, laudatory, panegyrical, praiseful; respectful, supportive, sympathetic; adoring, adulatory, idolizing, worshipful, worshipping (also worshiping); advisory, recommendatory

Near Antonyms captious, carping, caviling (or cavilling), censuring, critical, faultfinding, hypercritical, overcritical; belittling, contemptuous, disdainful, disparaging, scornful, slighting

Antonyms adverse, depreciative, depreciatory, derogatory, disapproving, inappreciative, negative, unappreciative, uncomplimentary, unfavorable, unflattering, unfriendly

4

willing to do a favor <a kid-friendly restaurant with high chairs and a special menu for small-fry appetites>

Synonyms accommodative, friendly, indulgent, obliging

Related Words helpful, solicitous; considerate, thoughtful; agreeable, amenable, complaisant, gracious; lenient, overindulgent, permissive

5

promoting or contributing to personal or social well-being <the state's attitude towards commercial development is widely regarded as friendly to the business community>

Synonyms advantageous, benefic, beneficent, benignant, favorable, friendly, good, helpful, kindly, profitable, salutary

Related Words gratifying, rewarding, satisfying; auspicious, promising, propitious; advisable, desirable, healthful, healthy, salubrious, salutiferous, wholesome; gainful, lucrative, remunerative; ameliorative, amelioratory, bettering, constructive, supportive

Near Antonyms damaging, deleterious, harmful, injurious, insalubrious

Antonyms bad, disadvantageous, unfavorable, unfriendly, unhelpful, unprofitable