characteristic of or befitting a friend; showing friendship.
a friendly greeting.
like a friend; kind; helpful.
a little friendly advice.
favorably disposed; inclined to approve, help, or support.
a friendly bank.
not hostile or at variance; amicable.
a friendly warship;
friendly natives.
easy to use, operate, understand, etc. (usually used in combination).
a consumer-friendly instruction manual;
a friendly food processor.
able to coexist with something without harm or trouble (usually used in combination).
environmentally friendly building materials;
a child-friendly restaurant.
showing or expressing liking, goodwill, or trust
a friendly smile
on the same side; not hostile
tending or disposed to help or support; favourable
a friendly breeze helped them escape
Friendly, describes people who are kind, caring, and make you feel comfortable. You might be new to town, but the people are so friendly that you'll soon feel right at home. The noun friend is at the root of the adjective friendly. When you're friendly, you treat everyone like a friend — with warmth and respect. A friendly game of badminton is by definition not too serious or competitive, and a vegetarian-friendly menu makes non meat-eaters feel welcome, just as user-friendly instructions make it easy for non-professionals to follow the directions.
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The founder of Dimensional Fund Advisors has written a relaxed and friendly book anyone can read in a few sittings.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
Patrons described it as the kind of friendly business where groceries could be bought on credit and friends could swing by on Friday for karaoke night.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026
With his friendly smile and understated suit, the 51-year-old businessman is spearheading a series of industrial and logistics infrastructure projects, with the aim of developing sectors for the processing of raw materials.
From Barron's ● Jul. 10, 2026
"I remember him finding everything funny, exactly as he comes across on TV, that's what he was like, very warm, very friendly and laughed at everything."
From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026
She waved and honked her normal three friendly honks.
From "A Boy Called Bat" by Elana K. Arnold
“Google fans seem to eat this kumbaya stuff up, to really believe it,” wrote John Gruber, a blogger who runs the -friendly site Daring Fireball.
From Forbes ● May 16, 2013
There are lines, -friendly soundbites and poetry, and then there is John Cooper Clarke.
From The Guardian ● May 3, 2013
England's only two wins in their first 16 fixtures with Scotland were friendlies and at home.
From BBC ● Jul. 6, 2026
As recently as March, when the U.S. dropped a pair of friendlies to Belgium and Portugal, he lamented that his players weren’t bringing enough energy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 1, 2026
In the build-up to this tournament, head coach Steve Clarke deployed a 4-4-2 formation in friendlies against Curacao and Bolivia to great effect.
From BBC ● Jun. 21, 2026
But its World Cup preparations were disrupted by war in the Middle East, which forced the cancellation of scheduled friendlies with Serbia and Argentina.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 10, 2026
“There are no friendlies ahead of us,” the platoon leader reported.
From "Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War" by Steve Sheinkin
Coastal desalination plants discharge ultra salty brine waste that can harm marine life, but the undersea pods release a less concentrated brine, which the company says is friendlier to the ecosystem.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 2, 2026
Meanwhile, environmental restoration has made some of Brazil’s urban riverbanks and lagoons friendlier to capybaras.
From Slate ● May 27, 2026
Those challenges have allowed a few cases to proceed in state court, where jurors are often perceived as being friendlier to homeowners than private arbitrators.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 18, 2026
When the flight attendant saw where she was sitting, Nabongo said, she took a friendlier tone.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 10, 2026
It was smaller and friendlier than most homeowners’ meetings.
From "Tangerine" by Edward Bloor
The friendliest U.S. cities, according to World Cup tourists.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 30, 2026
In another video played to the court, Warren told police his XL Bullies, one of which he bought on Gumtree, were "the friendliest dogs I know" and said poodles were "more aggressive".
From BBC ● Feb. 2, 2026
In the end, Elmer the patchwork elephant seemed the friendliest, least controversial decision.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 1, 2026
Jack, a 4-year-old Labrador retriever with the biggest, friendliest eyes, was gone.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 3, 2025
The workers seemed rather concerned and helped me up most politely, smiling in the friendliest fashion.
From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole
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.
