enemy synonyms

enemy

n.

  1. A national or public opponent

    foe, attacker, antagonist, opponent, adversary, public enemy, criminal, opposition, fifth column, enemy within the gates, borer from within, saboteur, spy, foreign agent, assassin, murderer, betrayer, traitor, terrorist, revolutionary, seditionist, rebel, guerrilla(s), invader, the other side, hostile nation, hostile forces, villain, bad guy*.

    Antonyms ally, confederate, supporter*.

  2. A personal opponent

    rival, opponent, competitor, foe, antagonist, adversary, assailant, nemesis, archenemy, bête noire (French), detractor, prosecutor, inquisitor, informer, calumniator, falsifier, disputant, traducer, asperser, defiler, defamer, slanderer, backbiter, vilifier.

    Antonyms friend*, supporter*, benefactor. See syn. study at opponent.opponent.

Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.