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.
His comments, made during a cabinet meeting at the Camp David presidential retreat, were in contrast to his insistence earlier this week that “very friendly negotiations” were under way, enabling a pause on military operations.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026
Newcastle finished 12th in the Premier League last season, missing out on European football for 2026-27, and lost 4-1 to Championship side Bristol City in a pre-season friendly on Wednesday.
From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026
Kurosawa takes the opportunity for a friendly jab.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2026
Coleman's younger brother Tony Nye remembers him as "loving, caring, kind, friendly, funny... an amazing singer, an amazing cook".
From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026
“Hello there!” the librarian said in her friendly, high-pitched voice.
From "The Way to Rio Luna" by Zoraida Cordova
“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
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
Alexander-Arnold was not included in Tuchel's 35-man squad for friendlies against Uruguay and Japan in March, missing out again when the coach needed to seek reinforcements.
From BBC ● Jun. 16, 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
“Who are the friendlies ahead of us?” he asked.
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
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
This new world is working well for a handful of sportsbooks, and for prediction markets that function as sportsbooks while enjoying a friendlier regulatory environment.
From Slate ● Apr. 28, 2026
When the flight attendant saw where she was sitting, Nabongo said, she took a friendlier tone.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 10, 2026
Calluses formed on my fingertips, my eye grew skilled at selecting friendlier fabrics to piece into the same block, and my neck is now accustomed to hunching over my work.
From "Hattie Big Sky" by Kirby Larson
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
Jack, a 4-year-old Labrador retriever with the biggest, friendliest eyes, was gone.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 3, 2025
Now it’s Alcaraz who has closed the gap, on Sinner’s friendliest terrain.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2025
He bent forward chuckling when Yossarian awoke, and assured him in the friendliest tones that the deal they had made was still on if Yossarian didn’t die.
From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller
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.
