hostile Hear it!

hostile Definition

hos·tile (hästəl; chiefly Brit, -tīl′)

adjective

  1. of or characteristic of an enemy; warlike
  2. having or showing ill will; unfriendly; antagonistic
  3. not hospitable or compatible; adverse
  4. Finance of or relating to the acquisition of a corporation against the wishes of its management a hostile takeover

Etymology: L hostilis < hostis, enemy: see hospice

noun

a hostile person

hostile Related Forms
hos·tilely adverb
hostile Synonyms

hostile

modif.

antagonistic, hateful, opposed; see unfriendly 1.

hostile Usage Examples

Adjective complement with noun phrase

  • make: What is it that makes people nowadays hostile to them, and how could that be changed?

Infinitive complement

  • trade: The Center was council funded and it was only a matter of time before a council hostile to trade unions cut their funding.

Modifies a noun

  • takeover: The very purpose of the Network is to mount a hostile takeover of the Episcopal Church.
  • intent: If he has a weapon or hostile intent, you can shoot to kill.
  • bid: The LSE abandoned the deal in order to fight off a hostile bid from OM, the company that runs Sweden's exchange.
  • territory: He didn't like being enclosed in a small space, especially in hostile territory.
  • environment: Tobacco was a comfort in a very hostile environment.
  • reception: Game played at his opponent checked of uranium are hostile reception they.

Modifying Another Word

  • openly: Others are openly hostile to the grace of God shown in Jesus.
  • implacably: The court's capacity to resolve the challenge of what has been called the implacably hostile parent is evident.
  • overtly: Some reaction was overtly hostile, with complaints being made that the migrants were a burden on the system of poor relief.
  • downright: Keyhoe's UFOs were always neutral at best, at worst, downright hostile.
  • bitterly: Had we gone the invasion route, the U.S. could still be an occupying power in a bitterly hostile land.
  • mutually: Great works of art - and such Dawn of the Dead undeniably is - allow a multitude of different and often mutually hostile interpretations.

Used with adjective complement

  • appear: However, areas were variable and some areas appeared hostile to adoption.
  • remain: However, if the university remained hostile, the Friends gained sympathy in the town.
  • seem: Much of the area feels private and protected, which in combination with a fairly noisy environment seems relatively hostile.
  • become: The attitude of general counsel became noticeably more hostile toward their external lawyers through 2001.
  • sound: I don't want to sound too hostile to the Leppers - I suppose even lip service is better than nothing.
  • get: He also has a clinical interest in the practice of medicine in hostile environments, and it doesnât get more hostile than Everest!
hostile Quotes

   We cannot letterrorist and roguenationshold thisnation hostile or hold our allies hostile.

—Bush, GeorgeW(alker)

Fearful and hostile behavior is not rational but neither is it uncommon, either to individuals or to nations, including our own.

—Fulbright,J(ames) William

Around me, around them [the dissidents], the total, all- eclipsing Soviet world, which renders any other world powerless and far away, had become profoundly, morally hostile.

—Thubron, Colin Gerald Dryden

   Every nation, in every region, now has a decision to make. Either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists. From this day forward, any nation that continues to harbor or support terrorism will be regarded by the United States as a hostile regime.

—Bush, GeorgeW(alker)