frenemy

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noun fren·e·my \ ˈfre-nə-mē \

Definition of frenemy

plural frenemies

:one who pretends to be a friend but is actually an enemy

Recent Examples of frenemy from the Web

But less so is Bloom, who plays a mysterious former soldier who is perhaps a love interest or maybe a frenemy.

— mark kennedy, The Seattle Times, "‘Unlocked’ review: Noomi Rapace kills it in spy thriller," 30 Aug. 2017
His frenemy and Chief Narrator, Alex, joins the cast.

— katy primosch, baltimoresun.com, "'Bachelor in Paradise' premiere recap: What happened before the shutdown," 15 Aug. 2017
Throw in the volatility of LeBron’s frenemy Draymond Green, there’s definitely potential for some fireworks.

— rohan nadkarni, SI.com, "Grading the Best and Worst 2017 NBA Christmas Day Games," 11 Aug. 2017
Sagas (@2AvSagas) July 19, 2017 Even Mayor Bill de Blasio couldn’t resist poking at his favorite upstate frenemy.

— jen kirby, Daily Intelligencer, "Governor’s Plan for Fancy Light Shows on Bridges Draws Jeers in City Where Subways Don’t Work," 19 July 2017
Michelle Gomez was cast as a female incarnation of the Doctor's oldest frenemy The Master in 2013.

— megan lavey-heaton, NOLA.com, "New 'Doctor Who' lead: Jodie Whittaker is 13th Doctor, first woman to helm the series," 16 July 2017
Michelle Gomez was cast as a female incarnation of the Doctor's oldest frenemy The Master in 2013.

— megan lavey-heaton, OregonLive.com, "New 'Doctor Who': Jodie Whittaker is 13th Doctor, first woman to helm the series," 16 July 2017
At any rate, Benioff, who also relishes tweaking frenemy Oracle and its chief executive Larry Ellison, has now proclaimed Amazon as Salesforce's key strategic partner.

— barb darrow, Fortune, "Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff Recruits Axed Microsoft Employees on Twitter," 14 July 2017
They're bound by the formula that the enemy of anything Trump is their frenemy.

— john kass, chicagotribune.com, "America and Russians through the Looking Glass," 12 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'frenemy.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of frenemy

blend of friend and enemy

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First Known Use: 1953

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