archenemy
Americannoun
-
a chief enemy
-
(often capital) the devil
Etymology
Origin of archenemy
Explanation
An archenemy is a main foe or opponent. Batman's archenemy is the Joker, and Peter Pan's is Captain Hook. An archenemy is a hostile adversary. If you're fiercely competitive with your main pickleball rival, you may think of her as your archenemy — even though she's probably a perfectly nice person. Classic archenemies include the evil Cruella deVille, archenemy to the 101 dalmatians, and opposing military generals who vow to defeat each other's armies. The word is derived from the Greek prefix arkh-, "chief," and Latin inimicus, "not friend."
Vocabulary lists containing archenemy
The Very, Very Far North
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Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody
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arch, archi (Level I)
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
She was named one of American Cinematographer magazine's rising stars of 2019, and previously worked on 2020 independent superhero film Archenemy.
From BBC • Oct. 22, 2021
"I’m so sad about losing Halyna," tweeted "Archenemy" director Adam Egypt Mortimer.
From Fox News • Oct. 22, 2021
I was so lucky to have had Halyna Hutchins as my DP on Archenemy.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 22, 2021
Gaming Faces Its Archenemy: Financial Reality NOT long ago the creators of video games were declaring their medium the art form of the 21st century.
From New York Times • Oct. 3, 2012
Al Davis, the pirate king, repeated a rallying cry to his Raiders as he stepped up to accept the trophy from Archenemy Pete Rozelle.
From Time Magazine Archive
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
