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friend·ly | \ ˈfren(d)-lē 
\
\friendlier; friendliest
Definition of friendly
(Entry 1 of 3)
1 : of, relating to, or befitting a friend: such as
a : showing kindly interest and goodwill
friendly neighbors
b : not hostile
a friendly merger offer also : involving or coming from actions of one's own forces friendly fire
c : cheerful, comforting the friendly glow of the fire
2 : serving a beneficial or helpful purpose
A friendly breeze finally drove the boat into harbor.
3a : easy to use or understand
friendly computer software —often used in combinationa reader-friendly layout
b : designed or intended to accommodate particular needs, users, etc.
—usually used in combinationa kid-friendly restaurant… providing a more business-friendly and professional environment …— Matt Miller — see also user-friendly
4 : not causing or likely to cause harm
environmentally friendly packaging [=packaging that does not damage the environment] —often used in combinationan eco-friendly vehicle
friendly
adverbDefinition of friendly (Entry 2 of 3)
: in a friendly manner : amicably
friendly
noun plural friendlies
Definition of friendly (Entry 3 of 3)
1 : one that is friendly especially : a native who is friendly to settlers or invaders
2 chiefly British : a match between sports teams and especially international teams that has no connection with league or championship play
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Other Words from friendly
Adjective
friendlily \ ˈfren(d)-lə-lē \ adverb
\ adverbfriendliness noun
Synonyms & Antonyms for friendly
Synonyms: Adjective
- amicable,
- bonhomous,
- buddy-buddy,
- chummy,
- collegial,
- companionable,
- comradely,
- cordial,
- genial,
- hail-fellow,
- hail-fellow-well-met,
- hearty,
- matey
- [chiefly British],
- neighborly,
- palsy,
- palsy-walsy
- [slang],
- warm,
- warmhearted
Antonyms: Adjective
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Examples of friendly in a Sentence
Adjective
The local people are very friendly to visitors.
It was friendly of him to offer to help us.
His friendly smile was reassuring.
They maintained a friendly correspondence.
A friendly breeze helped us sail the boat into the harbor.
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Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective Items at new locations Midfield Market will have a new standalone location in Section 126 offering gluten-free, keto-friendly, kosher, vegan and vegetarian options.
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Brandi Addison, Dallas News, "Elote hot dogs, burnt end nachos and other new foods you should try at FC Dallas’ stadium in Frisco," 19 Feb. 2020 But, Kevin remembered, the New Hope workers seemed friendly and sincere.
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Anchorage Daily News, "Immigrant children are promised confidentiality in mandatory therapy. Then their words are used against them by ICE.," 16 Feb. 2020 But, Kevin remembered, the New Hope workers seemed friendly and sincere.
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Washington Post, "Trust and consequences," 15 Feb. 2020 Someone who is open, friendly, kind, but also self-assured, without being cocky.
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Jenny Singer, Glamour, "Skylar Astin Is a Libra Who Eats in Bed and Holds the Door Open for Women," 15 Feb. 2020 Yeah, so George on the side is super friendly and nice.
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Ryan Kost, SFChronicle.com, "Inside the Pink Painted Lady — the $3.5 million ‘fixer-upper’," 14 Feb. 2020 Steer clear of abrasive cleaners, ammonia, and even lemon juice and vinegar — which may seem friendly enough, but aren’t safe on every surface.
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Brooke Kosofsky Glassberg, Good Housekeeping, "How to Clean Your Carpets, and Wood Floors, and Tile," 12 Feb. 2020 Join this group swing dance class with the friendly and illustrious dance champions of Get Hep Swing.
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cleveland, "Second-graders learn that tying a tie is no trouble: Talk of the Towns," 7 Feb. 2020 Some of the food was definitely not Keto-friendly, including the pastas, pumpkin pies and the fried oreos.
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Steve Helling, PEOPLE.com, "Steak! Cheesecake! Salads! All About Tim Tebow’s ‘Keto-Friendly’ Wedding Reception," 23 Jan. 2020 Recent Examples on the Web: Adverb Mitsotakis won office pledging to make the country more-business friendly, cut taxes and modernize Greece’s antiquated bureaucracy.
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Washington Post, "Trump applauds Greek ‘comeback’ in White House meeting," 7 Jan. 2020 United has a third friendly scheduled against Pachuca of Mexico’s Liga MX at 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 7.
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Andy Greder, Twin Cities, "Minnesota United falls 3-0 to Aston Villa in international friendly," 17 July 2019 Saturday will feature an inter league friendly between the Marlins and Tampa Bay Rays RBI youth teams, followed up with RBI Night at Marlins Park.
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Christian Simmons, sun-sentinel.com, "Former and current Marlins, lots of ball on deck for Marlins’ Play Ball Week," 10 July 2019 United has a third friendly scheduled against Pachuca of Mexico’s Liga MX at 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 7.
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Andy Greder, Twin Cities, "Minnesota United falls 3-0 to Aston Villa in international friendly," 17 July 2019 Saturday will feature an inter league friendly between the Marlins and Tampa Bay Rays RBI youth teams, followed up with RBI Night at Marlins Park.
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Christian Simmons, sun-sentinel.com, "Former and current Marlins, lots of ball on deck for Marlins’ Play Ball Week," 10 July 2019 Saturday’s StubHub Center friendly between Manchester United and the Galaxy couldn’t come at a better time for the visitors — or at a worse time for the home team.
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Kevin Baxter, latimes.com, "Galaxy's matchup vs. Manchester United comes at inopportune time," 14 July 2017 The defensive devices manufactured by Mace are user-friendly, priced reasonably, and set the industry standard for quality and innovation.
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Janet H. Cho, cleveland.com, "Mace pepper sprays offer potent protection made in Cleveland (photos, video)," 28 May 2017 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun Projected third-stringer Bobby Edwards will have to give way to as Richey and Tytoń will both play one-and-a-half games during preseason friendlies against MLS foes.
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Pat Brennan, Cincinnati.com, "FC Cincinnati notebook: Darren Mattocks not in plans for 2020," 30 Jan. 2020 In Berhalter’s first three games in charge, all winter friendlies, the U.S. laid the foundation for implementing the coach’s new system by posting three shutout victories.
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Kevin Baxter, latimes.com, "U.S. men’s soccer eager to show ‘something different’ at Gold Cup," 17 June 2019 Trusty has also been previously called up to the senior U.S. men’s national team and was on the matchday roster for their friendlies against Panama and Costa Rica earlier this year.
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Jake Shapiro, The Denver Post, "Rapids acquire USMNT defender, deal to keep Lalas Abubakar," 20 Nov. 2019 According to a report in the New Zealand Herald the experienced defender is set to be called up to the senior squad for the All Whites' upcoming friendlies against the Republic of Ireland and Lithuania.
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SI.com, "Winston Reid Finally Set for West Ham Injury Return Ahead of New Zealand Call-Up," 4 Nov. 2019 An analysis included in the lawsuit claims that if the men's and women's team each played and won 20 friendlies in a year, the women would earn a maximum of $99,000, while the men would earn an average of $263,320.
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Eliott C. Mclaughlin, CNN, "World Cup in hand, US women's soccer team moves to battle for equal pay. Here's what you need to know," 8 July 2019 While Mexico under Martino has won all four of its friendlies this year -– and mostly looked good doing it — the U.S. has looked awful this month, failing to score in losses to Jamaica and Venezuela.
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Kevin Baxter, latimes.com, "Soccer! France is slowly warming up to the Women’s World Cup," 11 June 2019 Injured striker Neymar won’t play in Brazil’s friendlies against Argentina on Nov. 15 in Saudi Arabia, and South Korea four days later in the United Arab Emirates.
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BostonGlobe.com, "Ramos hired as coach of Houston Dynamo," 26 Oct. 2019 In the pick of the friendlies, Chile were forced to come from behind against Guinea, with Barcelona star Arturo Vidal scoring what would turn out to be the winner from the penalty spot in Alicante.
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SI.com, "Euro 2020 Qualifying Roundup: Spain Reach Next Summer's Finals, ROI Slip Up & Italy Score Five," 15 Oct. 2019
See MoreThese example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'friendly.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for friendly
friendly
adjectiveEnglish Language Learners Definition of friendly
(Entry 1 of 2)
: acting like a friend : kind and helpful
: having or showing the feelings that friends have for each other
: showing support or approval
friendly
nounEnglish Language Learners Definition of friendly (Entry 2 of 2)
British : a game between sports teams that is done for fun and not as part of a regular playing season
See the full definition for friendly in the English Language Learners Dictionary
friendly
adjectivefriend·ly | \ ˈfrend-lē \
\friendlier; friendliest
Kids Definition of friendly
1 : having or showing the kindness and warmth of a friend
a friendly neighbor a friendly smile
2 : being other than an enemy
3 : easy or suitable for
a kid-friendly restaurant
friendly
adjectivefriend·ly
Legal Definition of friendly
: agreeable to those affected : not hostile
a friendly takeover
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Time Traveler for friendly
The first known use of friendly was before the 12th century
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