1
as in hatred
a deep-seated ill will
a lingering hostility between the two neighbors ever since since they had that property-line dispute
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in conflict
hostilities plural
a state of armed violent struggle between states, nations, or groups
Both sides agreed to cease all hostilities.
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 hostility
In 2018 and 2019, the two exchanged fire in rounds of hostilities that would frequently end within 48 hours.
—
Oren Liebermann, CNN Money, 29 Oct. 2025
Supporters of Delhi’s stray dogs say hostility toward them has increased since India’s Supreme Court reversed an order that would have moved them all to shelters.
—Kayla Hayempour, NBC news, 26 Oct. 2025
Temporary cessations of hostility, but no permanent closing of the moral and social divide between debtor and creditor, and no giving up on the thought that some lives matter more than others.
—Henry Freedland, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025
So is hostility toward tourists, a word that has long been used as a pejorative in some contexts.
—Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hostility
Oren Liebermann, CNN Money, 29 Oct. 2025
Supporters of Delhi’s stray dogs say hostility toward them has increased since India’s Supreme Court reversed an order that would have moved them all to shelters.
—Kayla Hayempour, NBC news, 26 Oct. 2025
Temporary cessations of hostility, but no permanent closing of the moral and social divide between debtor and creditor, and no giving up on the thought that some lives matter more than others.
—Henry Freedland, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025
So is hostility toward tourists, a word that has long been used as a pejorative in some contexts.
—Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hostility
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hostility
Noun
-
My darling, hatred takes the beauty away.—
Tracee Ellis Ross,
Glamour,
27 Oct. 2025
-
Muschietti touched on this in his movies — the bullying of Mike Hanlon and the hate-crime murder of Adrian Mellon — including the way Pennywise fosters and foments the hatred already lurking in the hearts of Derry’s citizens.—
Louis Peitzman,
Vulture,
27 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
As is often the case when Arsenal and Chelsea meet, this match had the potential to be one of those gloriously uninhibited conflicts.—
Megan Feringa,
New York Times,
9 Nov. 2025
-
As for South Sudan, a senior United Nations official said earlier this week that the ongoing conflict in Sudan is causing destabilization in South Sudan, including armed clashes and food insecurity.—
Dan Gooding,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Much to her dismay, Allura discovers that her soon-to-be-ex has retained the services of Carrington Lane (Paulson), a rival attorney who still holds a grudge against Allura, Liberty and Emerald for leaving her behind at their old firm.—
Max Gao,
HollywoodReporter,
5 Nov. 2025
-
And going after firms because the Administration has a grudge against a specific lawyer who works there is unprecedented, and represents a crude weaponization of executive power.—
Fabio Bertoni,
New Yorker,
25 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Just a few months ago, McKenna was weighing the two schools against each other, the Spartans finishing as runners-up in his historic recruiting war.—
Scott Wheeler,
New York Times,
9 Nov. 2025
-
From the very first days of the First World War, the German Empire was looking for someone capable of sparking a revolution in Russia and forcing the country to withdraw from the war with Germany — so that the Germans could focus their forces on fighting the British and the French.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
8 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Biden’s attempts to reingratiate himself have largely fallen on deaf ears, given the lasting bitterness many Democrats hold over his handling of the last year of his presidency.—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
8 Nov. 2025
-
Cook mustard greens with olive oil and spices like pepper flakes and garlic, then add vinegar or lemon juice to balance the bitterness.—
Merve Ceylan,
Health,
4 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Hamas’s October 7 terrorist attack and Israel’s devastating campaign in Gaza have produced a mutual animosity that won’t soon disappear.—
Dennis Ross,
The Atlantic,
4 Nov. 2025
-
Now, nine weeks into the season, animosity between the two sides remains evident.—
Cole Sullivan,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
The interests of humanity are best served by cooperation, not a policy of antagonism that seeks to slice up the world into unhappy spheres of interest, dominated by modern-day colonial overlords.—
Gustavo Petro,
Time,
9 Nov. 2025
-
The historian Odd Arne Westad offers an example of this dynamic in the British-German antagonism that precipitated World War I.—
Elizabeth D. Samet,
Foreign Affairs,
29 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
There is only scorched earth, and mockery, and enmity.—
David Aldridge,
New York Times,
10 Nov. 2025
-
Orbán has maintained enmity toward Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and blamed Europe’s support for Kyiv as prolonging the war.—
Laura Kelly,
The Hill,
7 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hostility.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hostility. Accessed 13 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share