hospitality
Americannoun
-
hospitalities
plural
-
the friendly reception and treatment of guests or strangers.
Hospitality at the hotel is fantastic, with staff who offered us refreshing drinks and comfortable chairs while we waited to check in.
-
the quality or disposition of receiving and treating guests and strangers in a warm, friendly, generous way.
In many cultures, hospitality plays a significant role in social interactions, as individuals are often judged by their ability to extend kindness and generosity toward others.
- Synonyms:
- friendliness, geniality, cordiality, warmth
-
the business or act of providing accommodation, food, drink, and other services to guests (often used attributively).
She has held several executive-level positions in hospitality.
This course will appeal to students who want to make a career for themselves in the hospitality industry.
noun
-
kindness in welcoming strangers or guests
-
receptiveness
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of hospitality
First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English hospitalite, from Middle French, from Latin hospitālitās, from hospitāli(s) “of a guest, hospitable” ( see hospital) + -tās -ty 2
Explanation
A reputation for hospitality means you're known for being kind and welcoming to visitors, which may also mean that you always have a full house at Thanksgiving. Hospitalitem is a Latin word meaning "friendliness to guests," so it's not hard to see where the word hospitality comes from. Showing hospitality involves making others feel comfortable and welcome in your home. If you're grumpy and prefer to be left alone, this word probably won't ever be used to describe you, nor are you likely headed for a career in the hospitality industry.
Vocabulary lists containing hospitality
I Am Malala
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Unit 1: Telling Details
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The Lightning Thief
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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.
See Examples For:
This way, your friends can still buy you a drink if that’s what they’re used to doing on birthdays, and you get to keep your hospitality tradition, but in a more affordable way.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 13, 2026
Disney World, for example, has practically made an industry out of carefully cultivated hospitality.
From Salon ● Oct. 11, 2026
"Often they can be tourism or hospitality businesses, so they're having to educate their customers what to do."
From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026
"We are seeing more and more regular people willing to pay for a special experience at sport," says Richard Flint, chairman of Seat Unique, an online platform specialising in hospitality and VIP ticketing for events.
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
They entertained them with the utmost hospitality and before they bade them farewell Helenus gave them useful advice about their journey.
From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton
“I would love to see us kind of have more of an F1-style approach to a race weekend and how we host hospitalities, parties, just all those things,” Hamlin said.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 21, 2021
We were sad to leave the Senn residence, and thankful for their kind hospitalities, vowing to come soon for another visit.
From Time Magazine Archive
In all human probability, Louis Philippe will never look again upon the face of our Queen Victoria, or partake of her hospitalities, or be permitted to pour his dulcet deceit into her ears.
From Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Vol. 60, No. 373, November 1846 by Various
Young W. was often invited to share the hospitalities of his house, and soon became a frequent visiter there.
From Gleanings by the Way by John A. Clark
Two hours later the delightful hospitalities of Dr. and Mrs. Sutton were left behind, and the farewell to the group in the courtyard of the mission house is a long farewell to civilisation.
From Journeys in Persia and Kurdistan, Volume I (of 2) Including a Summer in the Upper Karun Region and a Visit to the Nestorian Rayahs by Isabella L. (Isabella Lucy) Bird
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
