friendliness

noun

friend·​li·​ness ˈfren(d)-lē-nəs How to pronounce friendliness (audio)
: the quality or state of being friendly: such as
a
: disposition to goodwill, warmth, or kindness to others
I love the Santa Ynez Valley. I love its rolling hills, the friendliness of the people and the care I have seen neighbors extend to neighbors.Elayne Klasson
b
: the quality of being suited to particular needs, concerns, users, etc.
… keeps developers on task to reach an agreed-upon level of efficiency and environmental friendliness in building projects.John Patrick Pullen
often used in combination
The app catalogs over 75,000 trails across the United States and Canada, with handy filters to search trails by skill level, accessibility, or dog-friendliness.Arielle Pardes
As always, Pittman became the fixer, leading the charge to upgrade service and focus on consumer-friendliness.Daniel McGinn

Examples of friendliness in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The research found that foxes selected for tameness and friendliness ultimately wagged their tails more often than other foxes. Kyle Melnick, Washington Post, 22 Jan. 2024 Perhaps tail-wagging was a behavior that humans unintentionally selected for, because it was linked with other preferable traits, like tameness or friendliness toward people. Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 17 Jan. 2024 According to a 2023 study by Empower, a financial services company, Las Vegas ranked as the top spot for retirement thanks to its affordability, tax friendliness to retirees, ease of access to health care, and of course, its year-round sunshine. Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 11 Jan. 2024 That music is Afro-diasporic—now samba, now house—and the vibe, like that of Dorrance Dance, the company in which Sandoval and Richardson first came together, matches high skill with friendliness. The New Yorker, 26 Jan. 2024 Apple and Netflix could simply be seen as special cases, but critics on Wall Street and beyond have in the past urged companies to focus on shareholder friendliness. Georg Szalai, The Hollywood Reporter, 26 Dec. 2023 Valencia sports a mustache and a stud earring and has an easy friendliness about him. Michael Waters, The New Yorker, 4 Jan. 2024 But Tamarindo never feels like a ghost town, which is a testament to the friendliness of the staff. Keaton Bell, Vogue, 1 Dec. 2023 Find it on Amazon Sustainable and Reusable Napkins Embrace both environmental friendliness and visual appeal with a set of Reusable Napkins for the holidays. Jessica Copeland, Rolling Stone, 10 Nov. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'friendliness.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of friendliness was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near friendliness

Cite this Entry

“Friendliness.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/friendliness. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

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