unfriendly
adjective
un·friend·ly
ˌən-ˈfren(d)-lē 
Synonyms
Examples of unfriendly in a Sentence
They were very unfriendly to us.
the unfriendly looks quickly warmed when we were recognized as long-unseen relatives
Recent Examples on the Web
Heading to Kansas City and noisy and unfriendly Arrowhead Stadium, the Chargers face some hard challenges and harder truths.
—
Jeff Miller, Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2023
The result is a breezy peek at the near-term future of humanity in space, and the upshot is that this future is as cold, dark and unfriendly as the cosmos itself.
—Amy Brady, Scientific American, 17 Oct. 2023
Christo’s bottle is an unfortunate throwback to the heavy, environmentally unfriendly glass of old.
—Dave McIntyre, Washington Post, 5 Oct. 2023
Still, the scientists detected some patterns: Cats tended to move their ears and whiskers toward one another during friendly interactions and away during unfriendly ones.
—Margaret Osborne, Smithsonian Magazine, 3 Nov. 2023
Just ask Jessica Alba and Miley Cyrus, who would probably rather forget ever meeting such unfriendly spirits.
—Lydia Price, Peoplemag, 22 Oct. 2023
If public transportation had to cut service for want of fares, the city would grow unfriendly to work.
—Nathan Heller, The New Yorker, 16 Oct. 2023
Filters in the system try to block some unwise suggestions, like those that could be unfriendly to pedestrians.
—Paresh Dave, WIRED, 10 Oct. 2023
With Esther Wong unfriendly to bands that caused damage to the establishment that bore her name, the two clubs naturally sorted themselves into two camps.
—Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 4 Oct. 2023
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Jeff Miller, Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2023
The result is a breezy peek at the near-term future of humanity in space, and the upshot is that this future is as cold, dark and unfriendly as the cosmos itself.
—Amy Brady, Scientific American, 17 Oct. 2023
Christo’s bottle is an unfortunate throwback to the heavy, environmentally unfriendly glass of old.
—Dave McIntyre, Washington Post, 5 Oct. 2023
Still, the scientists detected some patterns: Cats tended to move their ears and whiskers toward one another during friendly interactions and away during unfriendly ones.
—Margaret Osborne, Smithsonian Magazine, 3 Nov. 2023
Just ask Jessica Alba and Miley Cyrus, who would probably rather forget ever meeting such unfriendly spirits.
—Lydia Price, Peoplemag, 22 Oct. 2023
If public transportation had to cut service for want of fares, the city would grow unfriendly to work.
—Nathan Heller, The New Yorker, 16 Oct. 2023
Filters in the system try to block some unwise suggestions, like those that could be unfriendly to pedestrians.
—Paresh Dave, WIRED, 10 Oct. 2023
With Esther Wong unfriendly to bands that caused damage to the establishment that bore her name, the two clubs naturally sorted themselves into two camps.
—Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 4 Oct. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'unfriendly.' 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
15th century, in the meaning defined above
Time Traveler
The first known use of unfriendly was
in the 15th century
Dictionary Entries Near unfriendly
Cite this Entry
“Unfriendly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unfriendly. Accessed 30 Nov. 2023.
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Kids Definition
unfriendly
adjective
un·friend·ly
ˌən-ˈfren-(d)lē
1
: not friendly or kind : hostile
an unfriendly greeting
2
: not agreeable
an unfriendly environment
unfriendliness
noun
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