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

Groups including the Grand Canyon Trust urge water managers to mix in deeper, cooler water to keep the Grand Canyon inhospitable to smallmouth bass. —ABC News, 22 Apr. 2026

Historically, however, certain cold-weather countries like Iceland have been able to offer a mosquito-free guarantee thanks to cold temperatures that are inhospitable to the insect. —Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 22 Apr. 2026

The Arctic is still cold and inhospitable, covering vast distances, even if awareness of its strategic importance has reawakened. —Alan Crawford, Bloomberg, 20 Apr. 2026

Robertshaw, who previously spent 15 years coaching at Boston University, argued that sites like 2aDays are contributing to an increasingly inhospitable environment for coaches in general, and especially women in the profession. —Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 14 Apr. 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