frenemy

American  

[fren-uh-mee] / ˈfrɛn ə mi /

Sometimes frienemy

noun

1. Informal. a person or group that is friendly toward another because the relationship brings benefits, but harbors feelings of resentment or rivalry.

   Clearly, turning the competition into frenemies is good for your business.

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Etymology

Origin of frenemy

First recorded in 1950-55; fr(iend) + enemy

Example Sentences

It looked first to an old frenemy, the oil business.

From Los Angeles Times

But this dynamic of banks getting favorable capital treatment for lending to lenders has helped turn banks and private lenders from potential rivals into something more like frenemies.

From The Wall Street Journal

In a CNN interview aired Sunday, Newsom was asked about the prospect of facing his longtime frenemy in a fight for the Democratic nomination.

From Los Angeles Times

When a high-school frenemy convinces four post-college besties in suburban Maryland to let her make a documentary about them, it goes viral, and all millennial hell breaks loose.

From Los Angeles Times

Too often people spend time with friends or frenemies out of habit, convenience or social positioning, perhaps drinking too much or laughing too loud to mask the lack of synchrony.

From The Wall Street Journal