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

Why is Texas so inhospitable to Democrats? —David Frum, The Atlantic, 11 Mar. 2026

With a windchill of minus 2 degrees Fahrenheit, the weather is downright inhospitable. —Jen Murphy, Robb Report, 8 Mar. 2026

The film takes place within an inhospitable environment where brushes with outlaws (and the law itself) can lead to death by gunfire. —Sezin Devi Keohler, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Mar. 2026

But the dams hurt salmon in a number of ways, including by forcing them through turbines, warming the slow-moving water in reservoirs to inhospitable temperatures, and greatly slowing the migration of juvenile fish to the sea. —ABC News, 26 Feb. 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