frenemy

noun

fren·​e·​my ˈfre-nə-mē 

plural frenemies

informal : a person who is or pretends to be a friend but who is also in some ways an enemy or rival

In Hollywood, everyone has lots of frenemies, usually people who are doing comparatively well at any given moment.

—Pete Clark

In an awkward awards ceremony, Phil [Mickelson] and Tiger [Woods] stood on the 18th green together as frenemies. Phil held up the crystal trophy for the tournament title, while Tiger squirreled away a $10 million bonus for winning the FedEx Cup …

—Selena Roberts

Examples of frenemy in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

There’s a reason why strident partisans like Republicans Chad Bianco and Steve Hilton and progressives Tom Steyer and Katie Porter have consistently placed high in the polls, while moderates like Becerra, his frenemy Antonio Villaraigosa and San Jose mayor Matt Mahan have lagged. —Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 23 Apr. 2026

His frenemy Cipriani precipitated that ousting, too, by first surfacing the allegation which led to his dismissal. —Gary Baum, HollywoodReporter, 8 Apr. 2026

Michelle Trachtenberg had a recurring role on Gossip Girl as Georgina Sparks, a rebellious wild child and past frenemy of Lively's Serena. —Rachel Desantis, Entertainment Weekly, 6 Apr. 2026

In the middle of the month, Sadie Sandler leads her first movie as a college freshman in a frenemy situation with her roommate. —Madeleine Janz, PEOPLE, 2 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

blend of friend entry 1 and enemy

First Known Use

1891, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for frenemy

• enemy

Kids Definition

frenemy

noun

fren·​e·​my

ˈfren-ə-mē

plural frenemies

informal : someone who pretends to be a friend but is really an enemy