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

Ten years after originating the role of Hamilton’s sly frenemy and ultimate assassin, Leslie Odom, Jr. returns to the Broadway production on Tuesday for a 12-week run to celebrate the show’s 10-year anniversary. —Michelle Ruiz, Vogue, 8 Sep. 2025

The trailer opened with Bryant writing a letter to her longtime frenemy Huger. —Jay Stahl, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2025

Beyond Swifties and Kelce fans showing their excitement on their engagement, the couple’s friends — and perhaps a frenemy — joined the frenzy of congratulations on their engagement. —Althea Legaspi, Rolling Stone, 27 Aug. 2025

Just as Brooke and Sam start warming up to each other, Murphy does what Murphy does best: The finale ends with Brooke getting hit by a car driven by her drunk, jealous frenemy Nicole (Tammy Lynn Michaels). —James Mercadante, EW.com, 22 Aug. 2025

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