inhospitality

noun

in·​hos·​pi·​tal·​i·​ty (ˌ)in-ˌhä-spə-ˈta-lə-tē How to pronounce inhospitality (audio)
: the quality or state of being inhospitable

Examples of inhospitality in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Usually evoked as an unfavorable metaphor, swampy wetlands have long borne a reputation for mucky inhospitality. Riley Farrell, ABC News, 29 Oct. 2022 The inhospitality of the vaccinated body to SARS-CoV-2 is what’s given many researchers hope that long COVID, too, will be rarer among the immunized, though that connection is still being explored. Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 26 July 2021 Here, there are no villains, just the cruel inhospitality of space, dumb luck and the different taxonomies of heroism, decency and sacrifice that the Kingfisher crew members represent. Jessica Kiang, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2021 What some might see as severity or inhospitality is to its occupant a reminder to live and design deliberately. New York Times, 19 Mar. 2021 And yet the Mall in Washington is commonly regarded as America’s noblest civic space, while the plaza in Albany is seen as a monstrous failure, vicious in its inhospitality. Michael J. Lewis, National Review, 3 Sep. 2020 For more than a year after his election in 2018, Salvini was happy to hold the spotlight, taking the credit and the blame for Europe’s inhospitality to migrants. Ben Ehrenreich, The New Republic, 17 Oct. 2019 Krawcheck’s flameout generated countless pages of commentary about Wall Street’s inhospitality to women. Clifton Leaf, Fortune, 23 Sep. 2019 Family separation at the border and another measure Damus knows first hand, detention of asylum seekers, also point to the current American inhospitality. Michael K. McIntyre, cleveland.com, 14 July 2019

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'inhospitality.' 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 1576, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of inhospitality was circa 1576

Dictionary Entries Near inhospitality

Cite this Entry

“Inhospitality.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/inhospitality. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.

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