inimical

adjective in·im·i·cal \ i-ˈni-mi-kəl \

|Updated on: 30 May 2018

Examples: inimical in a Sentence

Editor's Note: Did You Know?

Definition of inimical

1 : being adverse often by reason of hostility or malevolence

forces inimical to democracy

2 a : having the disposition of an enemy : hostile

inimical factions

b : reflecting or indicating hostility : unfriendly

his father's inimical glare

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inimically

play \i-ˈni-mi-k(ə-)lē\ adverb

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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

But Chicago owes its reputation as a concert hub to a constellation of independent promoters and venues, and Live Nation has proved itself inimical to their existence.

— leor galil, Chicago Reader, "Music / News Colossal concert promoter Live Nation adds its financial muscle to the Lincoln Yards development," 17 May 2018
The book asked why residents in the heartland kept voting for politicians espousing policies that were inimical to their own welfare—chiefly conservative Republicans hostile to economic policies and government programs that the voters needed.

— michael hiltzik, latimes.com, "Yes, Pelosi and McCarthy represent two different Californias — but why do they serve each other's voters?," 15 May 2018
Of course, public opinion, left or right, that certain types of speech are inimical to civil discourse doesn't necessarily translate into censorship, as a mountain of court cases demonstrates.

— mari uyehara, GQ, "How Free Speech Warriors Mainstreamed White Supremacists," 8 May 2018
Seeing evidence inimical to your views arouses feelings of aversion, suspicion, perhaps even outrage.

— robert wright, WIRED, "Why Pure Reason Won’t End American Tribalism," 9 Apr. 2018
The raging Belle returns Together Belle's temper and thirst kept him from serious consideration for induction by inimical Baseball Hall of Fame writers and certainly denied him his deserved American League MVP award.

— bill livingston, cleveland.com, "2018 NCAA Final Four: The throwback appeal of Loyola of Chicago -- Bill Livingston," 27 Mar. 2018
Together Belle's temper and thirst kept him from serious consideration for induction by inimical Baseball Hall of Fame writers and certainly denied him his deserved American League MVP award.

— bill livingston, cleveland.com, "2018 NCAA Final Four: The throwback appeal of Loyola of Chicago -- Bill Livingston," 27 Mar. 2018
Theranos might not have been unique—overpromises and underdeliveries are as inimical to Silicon Valley as PowerPoint decks on laptops—but real diagnostics companies are making headway.

— adam rogers, WIRED, "Theranos Didn't Nuke the Diagnostics Business," 15 Mar. 2018
There’s something about this notion that’s inimical to the give-and-take of big-city life.

— adam greenfield, The Atlantic, "China's Dystopian Tech Could Be Contagious," 14 Feb. 2018

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").