1
as in negative
marked by opposition or ill will
the suggestions for change were given a hostile reception by some of the longtime employees
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in unfavorable
opposed to one's interests
the company's president vows to fight the hostile takeover by the giant corporation
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in enemy
one that is hostile toward another
reports of hostiles in the area kept the settlers on edge
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of hostile
Rochée Jeffrey, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Sep. 2025
And if the Europeans prevail, New Yorkers should congratulate them for showing the toughness to win a Ryder Cup in a hostile road arena — a toughness the Americans haven’t shown since 1993.
—Ian O'Connor, New York Times, 24 Sep. 2025
Robert S. Gable, IEEE Spectrum, 20 July 2017
See All Example Sentences for hostile
Adjective
Hollywood has always mirrored the culture around it, and right now that culture is hostile to difference.
—Rochée Jeffrey, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Sep. 2025
And if the Europeans prevail, New Yorkers should congratulate them for showing the toughness to win a Ryder Cup in a hostile road arena — a toughness the Americans haven’t shown since 1993.
—Ian O'Connor, New York Times, 24 Sep. 2025
Noun
And, unfortunately, the monitoring idea was born into a world hostile to its very premise.
—Robert S. Gable, IEEE Spectrum, 20 July 2017
See All Example Sentences for hostile
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hostile
Adjective
-
And minimizing the ability for rival studios to make viable alternative games, critics argue, has had a negative effect on the quality of sports titles across the sector.—
Dan Bernstein,
Sportico.com,
26 Sep. 2025
-
At the same time, Kirk’s admirers are campaigning to get people who make negative comments about those views—which are, after all, highly controversial and designedly so—fired from their jobs.—
Louis Menand,
New Yorker,
26 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Even as tragedy and struggle beset the tenement districts, the very qualities that defined the tenement’s unfavorable physical conditions—over-crowdedness and density—became building blocks for community.—
Annie Polland,
Time,
25 Sep. 2025
-
When unfavorable ratios of total cholesterol to HDL cholesterol were considered, those with the least favorable ratios had a 54% higher risk of high blood pressure.—
Anna Giorgi,
Verywell Health,
24 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
There’s even a little Kurosawa — from all the stages of his career — in the feudal set-up; while the decadent emperor Kisra (Ben Kingsley) holds court, his enemies are banished.—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
28 Sep. 2025
-
The eight-part series depicts the events leading up to the Norman Conquest of England in 1066, chronicling how two former allies would eventually become enemies in their fight for control of the English throne.—
Jenzia Burgos,
StyleCaster,
28 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Drinking it less often, enjoying it with meals or rinsing your mouth out with water after drinking may lessen such adverse effects.—
Daryl Austin,
USA Today,
26 Sep. 2025
-
And no serious adverse events were reported.—
Jacqueline Howard,
CNN Money,
26 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Researchers in Indonesia have unveiled a ‘dazzling breakthrough’ that transforms plastic waste into glowing nanomaterials capable of sensing harmful substances in water.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
24 Sep. 2025
-
These statements are harmful and untrue, Chabot said.—
Madeline Mitchell,
USA Today,
24 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Under the schedule requirements moving forward, each SEC team will play a 9-game conference schedule that will include 3 annual opponents and 6 rotating opponents.—
Matt Jones,
Arkansas Online,
24 Sep. 2025
-
In this example, from the 2-1 victory against Southampton in December, the opponents are defending with three man-markers (red), Adam Armstrong (white) protecting against the short option and six zonal players inside the six-yard area.—
Ahmed Walid,
New York Times,
24 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Advertisement The Pentagon in particular has had a tense, if not antagonistic, relationship with the press.—
Rebecca Schneid,
Time,
20 Sep. 2025
-
Although that relationship can sometimes be antagonistic, the central bank has long had powerful supporters in both parties on Capitol Hill and on its key committees.—
John Cassidy,
New Yorker,
15 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Tasked with delivering a vital secret weapon to their allies, the soldiers soon discover that what lurks in the forest is far more terrifying than their German foe.—
Andreas Wiseman,
Deadline,
29 Sep. 2025
-
After a postseason race that went down to Game 162, the longtime foes are set to meet in a best-of-three Wild Card Series in New York, starting with Game 1 on Tuesday.—
Jen McCaffrey,
New York Times,
29 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hostile.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hostile. Accessed 1 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share