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Showing results for friendly. Search instead for animal-friendly.
Synonyms

friendly

American  
[frend-lee] / ˈfrɛnd li /

adjective

friendlier, friendliest

  1. characteristic of or befitting a friend; showing friendship.

    a friendly greeting.
    Synonyms:
    neighborly, companionable

  2. like a friend; kind; helpful.

    a little friendly advice.
    Synonyms:
    cordial, amiable, kindly, kindhearted, affectionate, genial

  3. favorably disposed; inclined to approve, help, or support.

    a friendly bank.
    Synonyms:
    propitious, sympathetic, favorable, helpful, well-disposed, benevolent
    Antonyms:
    antagonistic

  4. not hostile or at variance; amicable.

    a friendly warship;

    friendly natives.

  5. easy to use, operate, understand, etc. (usually used in combination).

    a consumer-friendly instruction manual;

    a friendly food processor.

  6. able to coexist with something without harm or trouble (usually used in combination).

    environmentally friendly building materials;

    a child-friendly restaurant.

adverb

  1. Also friendlily in a friendly manner; like a friend.

noun

plural

friendlies

  1. a person who is in sympathetic relationship to oneself or one's side; an ally or supporter.

friendly 1 British  
/ ˈfrɛndlɪ /

adjective

  1. showing or expressing liking, goodwill, or trust

    a friendly smile

  2. on the same side; not hostile

  3. tending or disposed to help or support; favourable

    a friendly breeze helped them escape
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. Also called: friendly match.  sport a match played for its own sake, and not as part of a competition, etc

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
-friendly 2 British  

combining form

  1. helpful, easy, or good for the person or thing specified

    ozone-friendly
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • friendlily adverb
  • friendliness noun
  • prefriendly adjective

Etymology

Origin of friendly

First recorded before 900; friend + -ly

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.

For this friendly, the gentle hum of a few thousand conversations sounded more like the first morning of a Test match at Lord's.

From BBC • Mar. 31, 2026

"I think they know this is a pretty friendly spot," the musician said.

From BBC • Mar. 31, 2026

"He never once said to me to fake an injury. He'd just say 'You've got an England friendly coming up and you're not going'. And that was that."

From BBC • Mar. 31, 2026

McGinn spoke to BBC Scotland before Tuesday's latest warm-up friendly against Ivory Coast in Liverpool.

From BBC • Mar. 30, 2026

So this wasn’t just any old dead gerbil—this was friendly Bob.

From "The Best School Year Ever" by Barbara Robinson

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.