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 of inhospitable

• 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

The labor market is becoming increasingly inhospitable in the United States, as demand for workers continues to wane and job postings are at their lowest levels since the pandemic. —Alicia Wallace, CNN Money, 5 Feb. 2026

Three Haitian workers in December sued JBS in federal court, alleging their experience in Colorado has been marked by injuries, discrimination and inhospitable living conditions. —Sam Tabachnik, Denver Post, 5 Feb. 2026

The far side of the moon, the term most scientists prefer, is indeed dark (half the time), cold, and inhospitable. —Harry Goldstein, IEEE Spectrum, 1 Feb. 2026

Season 4 of The Traitors has proven to be an inhospitable one for gamers, with the first two murder victims being Big Brother and Survivor legends. —Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Jan. 2026

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