hostile

adjective hos·tile \ ˈhä-stᵊl , -ˌstī(-ə)l \

|Updated on: 9 Jun 2018

Examples: hostile in a Sentence

Definition of hostile

1 a : of or relating to an enemy

hostile fire

b : marked by malevolence : having or showing unfriendly feelings

a hostile act

c : openly opposed or resisting

a hostile critic

hostile to new ideas

d (1) : not hospitable

plants growing in a hostile environment

(2) : having an intimidating, antagonistic, or offensive nature

a hostile workplace

2 a : of or relating to the opposing party in a legal controversy

a hostile witness

b : adverse to the interests of a property owner or corporation management

a hostile takeover

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hostile

noun

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hostilely

play \ˈhä-stᵊl-(l)ē, -ˌstī(-ə)l-lē\ adverb

See hostile defined for English-language learners

See hostile defined for kids

Examples of hostile in a Sentence

Dugoni, a lawyer who coauthored a nonfiction book about an Idaho worker brain-damaged in 1996 by cyanide fumes, opens his debut novel with a wrongful death attorney in San Francisco, David Sloane, about to make his closing remarks defending a corporation in a similar case. Sloane, who has won 14 cases in a row, hates his arrogant client and must face an obviously hostile jury. —Publishers Weekly, 9 Jan. 2006
Relations with neighboring societies may be intermittently or chronically hostile. A society may be able to hold off its enemies as long as it is strong, only to succumb when it becomes weakened for any reason, including environmental damage. —Jared M. Diamond, Collapse, 2005
I do not want a hostile relationship with my surgeon. But it's obvious he's pigeonholed me into the last of the four patient categories that doctors use when writing a case history: young, middle-aged, senior, elderly. —Sylvia Simmons, Newsweek, 10 June 2002
Even when one is inside a climate-controlled spacecraft, sheltered from the deadly vacuum outside, space is a hostile setting. Terrestrial organisms venturing off the planet face a number of threats, chief among them cosmic radiation and the near absence of gravity. —Kenneth S. Kosik, Air & Space, June/July 2001
Lotus Development Corp. succumbed to a sweetened offer of $3.52 billion, or $64 a share, from International Business Machines Corp. in one of the fastest capitulations ever in a hostile takeover. A marathon week of negotiations, which began shortly after IBM unveiled a surprise bid of $60 a share for Lotus last Monday, ended yesterday with the signing of a definitive agreement. —Laurie Hays et al., Wall Street Journal, 12 June 1995
While the stereotype of the tortured artist brooding alone in a drafty garret may be an exaggeration, artists of all kinds—painters, musicians, poets, singers—often find themselves struggling to cope in a … world downright hostile to their work. Financial hardships, loneliness, family members who nag them to get "real" jobs, and their own self-destructive attitudes and habits can block creativity and prevent artists from pursuing their vision. —New Age Journal, Winter 1995
They were entering hostile territory.
Her suggestions were given a hostile reception.
It was a small town that was hostile to outsiders.
The camel is specially adapted to its hostile desert habitat.

Recent Examples of hostile from the Web

The US Navy is also investigating the usefulness of swarming, autonomous, boats, to patrol coastlines, or surround a hostile vessel.

— jack stewart, WIRED, "Forget Robo-Cars and Hit the Water on an Autonomous Boat," 28 May 2018
The White House may have finally found someone to take on the stress of overseeing President Trump's fossil fuel-friendly environmental agenda in the heart of hostile territory: California and nearby states.

— evan halper, latimes.com, "Will Trump's pick to run EPA in California show up for work?," 18 May 2018
Starting out in a hostile arena may give them an edge that the Warriors will need to get past talented Houston.

— ann killion, San Francisco Chronicle, "Road Warriors face challenge of winning in enemy territory," 13 May 2018
Going on the road to open the series in a hostile environment and trailing by double digits for most of the night didn't seem too daunting for this group.

— chris fedor, cleveland.com, "How Cleveland Cavaliers found their identity once again during grueling seven-game series against Indiana Pacers," 11 May 2018
McCain and Trump since 2015 have had a notoriously hostile relationship.

— dan nowicki, azcentral, "Is President Donald Trump unwelcome at Sen. John McCain's funeral?," 5 May 2018
In January, Nebraska judge Robert Rossiter granted a motion by the defense to move Higgins’s civil case to Kentucky, essentially turning the referee’s quest for justice into a road game in a hostile gym.

— michael mcknight, SI.com, "Inside the Dark World of Trolling," 29 Mar. 2018
Heading into challenging backcountry is no longer like crossing into hostile terrain.

— christopher solomon, Outside Online, "The Boy Who Lived on Edges," 22 Mar. 2018
Every parent of a human that age chews wrong, laughs wrong, sets the wrong limits, and makes the wrong requests at least once daily, and is intimately familiar with indifference, hostility, indifferent hostility and hostile indifference.

— carolyn hax, Detroit Free Press, "Stepparenting teenagers can be exhausting," 20 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'hostile.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of hostile

Middle French or Latin; Middle French, from Latin hostilis, from hostis

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1580

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

hostile Synonyms

HOSTILE Defined for English Language Learners

hostile

adjective

Definition of hostile for English Language Learners

: of or relating to an enemy
: not friendly : having or showing unfriendly feelings
: unpleasant or harsh

HOSTILE Defined for Kids

hostile

adjective hos·tile \ ˈhä-stᵊl \

Definition of hostile for Students

1 : belonging to or relating to an enemy

They entered hostile territory.

2 : unfriendly 1

He moved to get away from hostile neighbors.

Law Dictionary

hostile

adjective hos·tile

legal Definition of hostile

1 : having an intimidating, antagonistic, or offensive nature

a hostile work environment

2 a : of or relating to an opposing party in a legal action

a hostile claim

b : adverse to the interests of a party to a legal action

if the interests of the party joined involuntarily render him hostile to the original plaintiff, he must remain a defendant
—J. H. Friedenthal et al.

3 a : adverse to or incompatible with the interests of a property owner