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

Elizabeth Peña's Tania shared the screen with LAPD frenemy Carter, pushing his buttons and really setting him off. —EW.com, 29 June 2024

That's when Deadpool calls a timeout to pull a few weapons out of his frenemy and offer a few tips on how to defeat the other mutant, to Wolverine's annoyance. —Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 28 June 2024

Sugar gets a good, long look and a little bit of face-time with the whole Siegel clan, including an intro with Margit Sorensen (Anna Gunn), mother to Davy and semi-supportive frenemy ex-wife to Bernie. —Andy Andersen, Vulture, 19 Apr. 2024

Request Reprint Permissions Download Article Iraq has been an enemy, a friend, and a frenemy of the United States, depending on the administration in Washington. —Steven Simon, Foreign Affairs, 27 Sep. 2023

Word History

Etymology

blend of friend entry 1 and enemy

First Known Use

1891, in the meaning defined above

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