friendship

noun

friend·​ship ˈfren(d)-ˌship 

1

: the state of being friends

They have a long-standing friendship.

2

: the quality or state of being friendly : friendliness

the friendship shown him by his coworkers

3

obsolete : aid

Synonyms of friendship

• generosity
• brotherhood
• amity
• cordiality
• goodwill
• friendliness
• neighborliness
• kindness
• good-fellowship
• benevolence
• fellowship
• kindliness
• community
• companionship

Examples of friendship in a Sentence

a friendship between two countries

They have enjoyed many years of friendship.

He was encouraged by the friendship his coworkers showed him.

Recent Examples on the Web

Friendly aliens aren’t a new phenomenon in movies, but usually, those friendships develop on our home turf of Earth. —Katie Walsh, Boston Herald, 19 Mar. 2026

Money, power, art, fraud allegations and a business partnership, maybe even a friendship, gone awry make for an explosive cocktail in The Oligarch and the Art Dealer. —Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 19 Mar. 2026

Gill, the second-youngest member to be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, ultimately accepted the invitation to perform because of his 40-plus-year friendship with Strait. —Joseph Hudak, Rolling Stone, 19 Mar. 2026

This option prioritizes your emotional bandwidth, but still makes clear that the friendship itself isn’t in question. —Jenna Ryu, SELF, 19 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

see friend entry 1

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing friendship

• betray someone's friendship

Kids Definition

friendship

noun

friend·​ship ˈfren(d)-ˌship 

: the state of being friends