inhospitable

adjective

in·​hos·​pi·​ta·​ble ˌin-(ˌ)hä-ˈspi-tə-bəl  (ˌ)in-ˈhä-(ˌ)spi- 

1

: not showing hospitality : not friendly or receptive

2

: providing no shelter or sustenance

an inhospitable environment

inhospitableness noun

inhospitably

ˌin-(ˌ)hä-ˈspi-tə-blē 

(ˌ)in-ˈhä-(ˌ)spi-

adverb

Synonyms

• hostile
• negative

Examples of inhospitable in a Sentence

It's very inhospitable of him to be so rude to strangers.

the proposal received an unexpectedly inhospitable response from the city council

Recent Examples on the Web

As birds’ traditional resting and nesting spots become inhospitable, a more sobering question is whether improvements can happen rapidly enough. —The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 7 Aug. 2025

When you’ve been asked not to move much in order to protect your unborn child’s life, time stretches out before you like a vast, inhospitable landscape. —Anna Russell, New Yorker, 26 July 2025

Our federal government has created a detention center in an inhospitable swamp and joked about the cruelty of their actions. —State Sen. Md Rahman, Hartford Courant, 18 July 2025

And yes, the infamously inhospitable editorial boss lady, Miranda Priestly, is sticking to her signature style after nearly 20 years—including that iconic hairstyle. —Marci Robin, Allure, 23 July 2025

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1570, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

inhospitable

adjective

in·​hos·​pi·​ta·​ble ˌin-(ˌ)häs-ˈpit-ə-bəl  (ˈ)in-ˈhäs-(ˌ)pit- 

1

: not friendly or generous : not showing hospitality

2

: providing no shelter or food : barren

an inhospitable desert

inhospitably

-blē 

adverb

inhospitality

(ˌ)in-ˌhäs-pə-ˈtal-ət-ē

noun