enemy

noun

en·​e·​my ˈe-nə-mē 

plural enemies

1

: one that is antagonistic to another

especially : one seeking to injure, overthrow, or confound an opponent

2

: something harmful or deadly

alcohol was his greatest enemy

3

a

: a military adversary

b

: a hostile unit or force

Synonyms of enemy

• opponent
• foe
• hostile

Examples of enemy in a Sentence

He made a lot of enemies during the course of his career.

Tradition is the enemy of progress.

Recent Examples on the Web

Even robotic ground vehicles may struggle to spend hours crossing rough terrain and can fall easy prey to enemy drones. — Jeremy Hsu, ArsTechnica, 20 Oct. 2026

Meanwhile, back at Owen’s wedding, old friends and enemies reunite, dance, drink too much, and go to bed with the wrong people. — B. D. McClay, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2026

Ethiopia and Eritrea revive old tensions and grievances Ethiopian authorities accuse the TPLF of seeking an alliance with Eritrea to destabilize Ethiopia, potentially bringing together enemies from the previous war. — Khaled Kazziha, Fortune, 19 Oct. 2026

About 84 soldiers from Charlie Company were training at two locations, one for throwing grenades and another for practicing attacks on simulated enemy positions. — Rob Gillies, Los Angeles Times, 19 Oct. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English enmy, enemi, borrowed from Anglo-French enemi, going back to Latin inimīcus, noun derivative of inimīcus, adjective, "of an opponent, unfriendly, hostile," from in- in- entry 1 + amīcus "friendly, well-disposed, loving" — more at amiable

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing enemy

• behind enemy lines
• enemy territory
• mortal enemy
• public enemy number one

Kids Definition

enemy

noun

en·​e·​my ˈen-ə-mē 

plural enemies

1

: one that tries to hurt or overthrow or that seeks the failure of another

2

: something that harms

3

a

: a nation with which a country is at war

b

: a military force or a person belonging to such a nation

Etymology

Middle English enemi "enemy," from early French enemi (same meaning), from Latin inimicus (same meaning), from in- "not" and amicus "friend"