enemy

First recorded in 1300–1350; Middle English enemi, from Anglo-French, Old French, from Latin inimicus “unfriendly,” equivalent to in- in-³ + amicus “friendly, friend”; see amicable

synonym study for enemy

1. Enemy, foe refer to a dangerous public or personal adversary. Enemy emphasizes the idea of hostility: to overcome the enemy; a bitter enemy. Foe, a more literary word, may be used interchangeably with enemy, but emphasizes somewhat more the danger to be feared from such a one: deadly foe; arch foe of humankind ( the Devil ).

grammar notes for enemy

See collective noun.

OTHER WORDS FROM enemy

non·en·e·my, noun, plural non·en·e·mies.

Words nearby enemy

endysis, end zone, ENE, ENEA, enema, enemy, enemy alien, energetic, energetics, energid, energism

How to use enemy in a sentence

You and your enemy each had 100 soldiers to distribute, any way you liked, to fight at any of the 13 castles.
Can You Reach The Summit First?|Zach Wissner-Gross|September 11, 2020|FiveThirtyEight
He will stand up to our enemies like Putin and aid our allies.
Vote for Biden (duh)|Kevin Naff|September 10, 2020|Washington Blade
You and your enemy each have 100 soldiers to distribute, any way you like, to fight at any of the 13 castles.
The Fifth Battle For Riddler Nation|Zach Wissner-Gross|September 4, 2020|FiveThirtyEight
An app could react more quickly than a human to what an enemy aircraft does, for example.
An F-16 pilot took on A.I. in a dogfight. Here’s who won|Aaron Pressman|August 20, 2020|Fortune

Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines even threatened to treat citizens who defied lockdown orders as enemy soldiers and shoot them.
Why female leaders are faring better than ‘wartime presidents’ against COVID-19|matthewheimer|August 20, 2020|Fortune
But the enemy of the new emirs is neither the Jew nor the Christian, it is the godless militant defending secularism.
Houellebecq’s Incendiary Novel Imagines France With a Muslim President|Pierre Assouline|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
In “Steal This Episode,” the filmmaker denounces Homer Simpson as an “enemy of art.”
Here’s the Lost Judd Apatow ‘Simpsons’ Episode, Penned by Judd Apatow|Asawin Suebsaeng|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Scott, who died Sunday at 49, could go from evoking a Baptist preacher to quoting Public Enemy.
Remembering ESPN’s Sly, Cocky, and Cool Anchor Stuart Scott|Stereo Williams|January 4, 2015|DAILY BEAST
“Do not use complaints, courts and lawyers to beat and to silence the enemy,” the NOA activists wrote.
Italy’s Terror on the Tracks|Barbie Latza Nadeau|December 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In the event, the enemy did plenty—far more than SHAEF, or for that matter the German high command, imagined possible.
Hitler’s Hail Mary|James A. Warren|December 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
If the "Y" Beach lot press their advantage they may cut off the enemy troops on the toe of the Peninsula.
Gallipoli Diary, Volume I|Ian Hamilton
In this situation we waited the motion of the enemy, without perceiving any advancement they made towards us.
The Life and Most Surprising Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, of York, Mariner (1801)|Daniel Defoe
When a man converses with himself, he is sure that he does not converse with an enemy.
The Life and Most Surprising Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, of York, Mariner (1801)|Daniel Defoe
The enemy were pursued and annoyed by a few hundred of the citizens under Wooster and Arnold; the former was killed.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology|Joel Munsell
It was he who first said, If thine enemy hunger give him food, if he thirst give him drink.
Solomon and Solomonic Literature|Moncure Daniel Conway

British Dictionary definitions for enemy

enemy

/ (ˈɛnəmɪ) /

noun plural -mies

a person hostile or opposed to a policy, cause, person, or group, esp one who actively tries to do damage; opponent

an armed adversary; opposing military force
(as modifier)enemy aircraft

a hostile nation or people
(as modifier)an enemy alien

something that harms or opposes; adversarycourage is the enemy of failure

Other words from enemy

Related adjective: inimical

Word Origin for enemy

C13: from Old French enemi, from Latin inimīcus hostile, from in- 1 + amīcus friend

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

enemy

OTHER WORDS FOR enemy

OPPOSITES FOR enemy

Origin of enemy

synonym study for enemy

grammar notes for enemy

OTHER WORDS FROM enemy

Words nearby enemy

Words related to enemy

How to use enemy in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for enemy

Other words from enemy

Word Origin for enemy