hostile

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

|Updated on: 18 Aug 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

This fact, however, is known to the orca, an animal which is peculiarly hostile to the balæna, and the form of which cannot be in any way adequately described, but as an enormous mass of flesh armed with teeth.

— jeet heer, The New Republic, "Scientists admit Pliny the Elder was right about orcas and whales.," 11 July 2018
The Supreme Court ruled in favor of a Colorado baker who refused to create a wedding cake for a gay couple, saying that the Colorado Civil Rights Commission had been hostile to the business owner’s faith.

— james hohmann, Washington Post, "The Daily 202: RFK’s speech in apartheid South Africa remains relevant 50 years after his assassination," 5 June 2018
The fear is that Microsoft is hostile to open source and will do something to GitHub (though exactly what isn't clear) to undermine the open-source projects that depend on it.

— peter bright, Ars Technica, "Everyone complaining about Microsoft buying GitHub needs to offer a better solution," 4 June 2018
These ominous songs create an elegant mood in an otherwise hostile home — juxtaposition at its finest.

— refinery29.com, "Sharp Objects," 9 July 2018
The two sides — Oscar and the league — haven’t been openly hostile, just … estranged.

— gregg doyel, Indianapolis Star, "Doyel: Oscar Robertson didn’t expect this call from the NBA," 24 June 2018
In 2004 the Disney board fended off a hostile takeover bid by Comcast.

— meg james, latimes.com, "Comcast bids $65 billion for Fox assets, challenging Disney's offer," 14 June 2018
The landscape looked desolate and hostile, but not entirely alien.

— samuel axon, Ars Technica, "Sony at E3: Death Stranding is every bit as bizarre as Kojima fans dreamed," 12 June 2018
Ben had grown up there and was used to dealing with hostile, sometimes corrupt officers, but Clarissa, whose father had been a private detective, expected better treatment from the police.

— jennifer gonnerman, The New Yorker, "How One Woman’s Fight to Save Her Family Helped Lead to a Mass Exoneration," 19 May 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

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First Known Use: 1580

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

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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