inhospitable

adjective

in·​hos·​pi·​ta·​ble ˌin-(ˌ)hä-ˈspi-tə-bəl How to pronounce inhospitable (audio) (ˌ)in-ˈhä-(ˌ)spi- How to pronounce inhospitable (audio)
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 How to pronounce inhospitable (audio)
(ˌ)in-ˈhä-(ˌ)spi-
adverb

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 And what better way of doing this than running mile after mile – after mile – in one of the most savage, inhospitable places on earth. George Ramsay, CNN, 8 Mar. 2024 And in those moments, Kansas City can be an inhospitable place. David Hudnall, Kansas City Star, 24 Jan. 2024 Archaeologists had believed it to be mostly suited for hunter-gatherers, but an inhospitable place for complex civilizations. Larissa Gao, NBC News, 12 Jan. 2024 In a state that the gay and transgender community now considers one of the most inhospitable places in the country, the 45-year-old DeShazo, a drag performer and activist, has become a target for the far right. Annie Gowen, Washington Post, 7 Jan. 2024 So simply forestalling the ascent of powerful autocracies may eventually help democratic values spread into once inhospitable places. Hal Brands, Foreign Affairs, 20 Feb. 2024 On its face, the new season is an eerily macabre murder mystery set against the inhospitable landscape of frozen perpetual night. Caroline Reilly, Glamour, 9 Feb. 2024 Large swaths of it are intensely harsh and inhospitable to life — human life, anyway. Stephen C. George, Discover Magazine, 5 Feb. 2024 Over a couple of weeks, Evangeline, Liz and Pete have to sacrifice the joy of the holiday season to dredge up painful traces of the past, going deeper and deeper into the darkness, the inhospitable landscape and … get ready to point at your screen … the night country. Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 2 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'inhospitable.' 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

circa 1570, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of inhospitable was circa 1570

Dictionary Entries Near inhospitable

Cite this Entry

“Inhospitable.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/inhospitable. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

inhospitable

adjective
in·​hos·​pi·​ta·​ble ˌin-(ˌ)häs-ˈpit-ə-bəl How to pronounce inhospitable (audio) (ˈ)in-ˈhäs-(ˌ)pit- How to pronounce inhospitable (audio)
1
: not friendly or generous : not showing hospitality
2
: providing no shelter or food : barren
an inhospitable desert
inhospitably adverb
inhospitality
(ˌ)in-ˌhäs-pə-ˈtal-ət-ē
noun
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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