friendly

play

adjective friend·ly \ ˈfren(d)-lē \

Definition of friendly

friendlier; friendliest

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.

3 a :easy to use or understand

friendly computer software

—often used in combination

a reader-friendly layout

b :designed or intended to accommodate particular needs, users, etc. —usually used in combination

a 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 combination

an eco-friendly vehicle

—

friendlily

play \ˈfren(d)-lə-lē\ adverb

—

friendliness

noun

See friendly defined for English-language learners

See friendly defined for kids

Examples of friendly in a Sentence

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.

Recent Examples of friendly from the Web

The annual festival in Waterfront Park, which runs through Sunday, was its usual affable self with easy access to the essentials (bourbon) and a friendly crowd that seemed largely unfazed by the heat.

— jeffrey lee puckett, The Courier-Journal, "5 things you missed at the Forecastle Festival," 15 July 2017
Qandil was already familiar with radio-friendly rap like Run-D.M.C., LL Cool J, and Beastie Boys, but his horizons began to expand.

— birmingham magazine, AL.com, "How one hip-hop collaborative is changing Birmingham's music scene," 14 July 2017
The shift reflects changing German attitudes about healthier diets and climate-friendly, sustainable food production.

— agnieszka de sousa, Bloomberg.com, "Germans Are Losing Their Taste for Pork," 11 July 2017
With the amount of money sloshing through it, and global investment in its technology reaching $1.4 billion in 2016, bitcoin offers the finance-friendly country a promising new market.

— sonia zhuravlyova, MSNBC Newsweek, "The Future of Money: Bitcoin and Other Cryptocurrency Technologies Are a Way of Life in This Small Swiss Town," 11 July 2017
Among them are a New York social activist who has advocated for greater rights for women, a Canadian rabbi who is friendly with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and a colleague of the rabbi who converted Ivanka Trump.

— ilan ben zion, Jewish Journal, "Israeli list of unrecognized US rabbis points to rift," 10 July 2017
From big summer salads, to seafood and poultry, to notoriously un-wine-friendly spicy cuisines like Thai or Mexican, Riesling is down and delicious.

— marissa a. ross, Bon Appetit, "Why You Should Give Riesling Another Chance," 7 July 2017
But the latest study, published in the journal Scientific Reports, suggests that in the presence of ultraviolet light perchlorate is not so microbe-friendly.

— jason daley, Smithsonian, "Mars Surface May Be Too Toxic For Microbial Life," 7 July 2017
Instead, just stick to the nail caps or the selection of pet-friendly formulas on the market.

— kaleigh fasanella, Teen Vogue, "People Are Getting Matching Manicures With Their Pets and It’s Going Viral on Twitter," 6 July 2017

These 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.

Origin and Etymology of friendly

see ¹friend

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

See Words from the same year

friendly Synonyms

Synonyms

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

antagonistic, hostile, unfriendly

Related Words

affable, agreeable, approachable, good-natured, good-tempered, gracious, nice, sweet; clubby, convivial, folksy, gregarious, hospitable, sociable, social; jolly, jovial, merry; extroverted (also extraverted), outgoing; brotherly, fraternal, sisterly; close, familiar, intimate; adoring, affectionate, devoted, fond, lovesome, loving, tender, tenderhearted

Near Antonyms

alienated, estranged; chilly, cold, cold-blooded, cool, frigid, frosty, glacial, icy, wintry (also wintery); unsociable, unsocial; aggressive, argumentative, bellicose, belligerent, combative, contentious, disputatious, pugnacious, quarrelsome, scrappy, truculent; inhospitable, inimical

Synonym Discussion of friendly

amicable, neighborly, friendly mean exhibiting goodwill and an absence of antagonism. amicable implies a state of peace and a desire on the part of the parties not to quarrel.

- maintained amicable relations

neighborly implies a disposition to live on good terms with others and to be helpful on principle.

- neighborly concern

friendly stresses cordiality and often warmth or intimacy of personal relations.

- sought friendly advice

friendly

adverb

Definition of friendly

:in a friendly manner :amicably

Recent Examples of friendly from the Web

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.

— 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.

— janet h. cho, cleveland.com, "Mace pepper sprays offer potent protection made in Cleveland (photos, video)," 28 May 2017

Origin and Etymology of friendly

see ¹friend

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

See Words from the same year

friendly

noun

Definition of friendly

plural friendlies

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

See friendly defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of friendly from the Web

Huerta scored three goals in four games for Mexico in the tournament (with a broken elbow, no less) and quickly was called to the senior team, playing five times but only in friendlies that don’t permanently cement your soccer nationality.

— mark zeigler, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Sofia Huerta makes rare Mexico to US soccer switch," 29 July 2017
Around early spring, European clubs began to announce their tour destinations, but this year's announcements revealed the marketplace for summer friendlies had shifted from where FC Cincinnati left off with Crystal Palace.

— patrick brennan, The Courier-Journal, "How FC Cincinnati booked a marquee friendly against Valencia CF," 21 July 2017
The two teams regularly play each other in friendlies and at international competitions.

— paula hancocks, CNN, "South Korean official says North Korea could share 2018 Olympics," 23 June 2017
The next-best opportunity for Ramirez to earn his first call-up would be for friendlies in January, but those exhibitions could be important tuneups if the U.S. qualifies for the World Cup in Russia next summer.

— andy greder, Twin Cities, "United soccer: Christian Ramirez sees prime U.S. team call-up slip away," 8 June 2017
She and Pride teammates Monica and Camila all were called up for a pair of June friendlies against Spain and Iceland on June 10 and 13, respectively.

— alicia delgallo, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Marta balancing work, play to help Pride find winning mentality," 2 June 2017
Long (25 caps) and Klingenberg (72 caps) both made appearances for the United States in friendlies against Russia on April 6 and April 9.

— jamie goldberg, OregonLive.com, "Three Portland Thorns named to U.S. Women's National Team for upcoming friendlies," 27 May 2017
The Australian women’s national soccer team, capitalizing on the team’s surprising play in the 2015 World Cup, boycotted friendlies in the United States and wound up negotiating a deal that got them better wages, bonuses and travel provisions.

— anne m. peterson, The Denver Post, "Female athletes get a trio of wins in equality fight," 9 Apr. 2017
Coming off a pair of losses for the first time since 2014 in the SheBelieves Cup, the U.S. dominated with a 33-5 advantage on shots and 7-1 edge in shots on goal in the first of two Texas friendlies against Russia in four days.

— schuyler dixon, Orange County Register, "Crystal Dunn, Allie Long score twice each, U.S. women roll past Russia," 6 Apr. 2017

Origin and Etymology of friendly

see ¹friend

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1836

See Words from the same year

FRIENDLY Defined for English Language Learners

friendly

play

adjective

Definition of friendly for English Language Learners

: acting like a friend : kind and helpful
: having or showing the feelings that friends have for each other
: showing support or approval

friendly

noun

Definition of friendly for English Language Learners

: a game between sports teams that is done for fun and not as part of a regular playing season

FRIENDLY Defined for Kids

friendly

play

adjective friend·ly \ ˈfrend-lē \

Definition of friendly for Students

friendlier; friendliest

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

—

friendliness

noun

Law Dictionary

friendly

adjective friend·ly

legal Definition of friendly

:agreeable to those affected :not hostile

a friendly takeover

Learn More about friendly

See words that rhyme with friendly Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for friendly Spanish Central: Translation of friendly Nglish: Translation of friendly for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of friendly for Arabic speakers

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friendly

Definition of friendly

friendlily

friendliness

From the M-W Editors

Examples of friendly in a Sentence

Recent Examples of friendly from the Web

Origin and Etymology of friendly

friendly Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

Synonym Discussion of friendly

friendly

Definition of friendly

Recent Examples of friendly from the Web

Origin and Etymology of friendly

friendly

Definition of friendly

Recent Examples of friendly from the Web

Origin and Etymology of friendly

Phrases Related to FRIENDLY

Related Phrases

FRIENDLY Defined for English Language Learners

friendly

Definition of friendly for English Language Learners

friendly

Definition of friendly for English Language Learners

FRIENDLY Defined for Kids

friendly

Definition of friendly for Students

friendliness

Law Dictionary

friendly

legal Definition of friendly

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