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Definition of inimical
1 : being adverse often by reason of hostility or malevolence forces inimical to democracy
2a : having the disposition of an enemy : hostile inimical factionsb : reflecting or indicating hostility : unfriendly his father's inimical glare
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Examples of inimical in a Sentence
received an inimical response rather than the anticipated support
laws designed to enhance national security that some regard as inimical to cherished freedoms
Recent Examples of inimical from the Web
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Many will disagree with these values, but nothing about them is obviously inimical to the Bill of Rights.
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President Trump’s recent Executive Order is injurious to our work and inimical to our values.
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But others, like a tendency toward violence and verbal abuse, were inimical to family life.
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These measures are both ineffective and deeply inimical to free expression due to the high risks of over-blocking.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'inimical.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Did You Know?
In inimical, one finds both a friend and an enemy. The word descends from Latin inimicus, which combines amicus, meaning "friend," with the negative prefix in-, meaning "not." In current English, inimical rarely describes a person, however. Instead, it is generally used to describe forces, concepts, or situations that are in some way harmful or hostile. For example, high inflation may be called inimical to economic growth. Inimicus is also an ancestor of enemy, whereas amicus gave us the much more congenial amicable (meaning "friendly" or "peaceful") and amiable (meaning "agreeable" or "friendly").
Origin and Etymology of inimical
Late Latin inimicalis, from Latin inimicus enemy — more at enemy
INIMICAL Defined for English Language Learners
inimical
playDefinition of inimical for English Language Learners
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: likely to cause damage or have a bad effect
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: not friendly
Learn More about inimical
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Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for inimical Spanish Central: Translation of inimical Nglish: Translation of inimical for Spanish speakers
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