hostility
Americannoun
-
hostilities
plural
noun
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enmity or antagonism
-
an act expressing enmity or opposition
-
(plural) fighting; warfare
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of hostility
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English hostilite, from Latin hostīlitās, from hostīl(is) ( see hostile) + -itās -ity
Explanation
Hostility is the state of ill will and bad feeling. If a teacher embarrasses you in front of the whole class, you will probably regard him or her with hostility for the remainder of the school year. Hostility can be used to describe aggressive relations between two countries as well as between people. The issue of territorial borders can often cause hostility between neighboring countries. If actual fighting breaks out, use the word hostilities to refer to the violent actions between them. The ordinary citizens of the countries involved will look forward to the end of hostilities when the two governments are able to work together for peace.
Vocabulary lists containing hostility
"To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee, Chapters 16–19
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Franklin D. Roosevelt, "A Date That Will Live In Infamy" (1941)
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Maus I: My Father Bleeds History
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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.
See Examples For:
Our school shut down amid protests and hostility.
From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026
The test is the quality of the work, the hostility of the reception, and the verdict of the evidence over time.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 7, 2026
That broader hostility toward crypto, after a rather tough start to the year, has spilled over into bitcoin.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 31, 2026
Some believe the hostility against the Rohingya will only intensify as Malaysia heads towards the general election, which must be held before February 2028.
From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026
Aside from the hostility we feared he would face if Walter was released, we were worried about what would happen if a new trial was ordered.
From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson
Asian stocks fell Thursday as oil prices extended gains a day after breaking the psychological $100 barrier on the back of resurgent Middle East hostilities that have fanned inflation fears.
From Barron's ● Sep. 10, 2026
Vance added that he wasn’t sure when hostilities would end, refusing to provide an “artificial timeline” for Iran to exploit.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026
“In a low energy 24 hours the Middle East story has rumbled on as concerns about fresh US-Iran hostilities pushed oil prices higher still,” Deutsche Bank’s Jim Reid wrote in a Tuesday note.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 8, 2026
“For us here in the region, while we prefer a stalemate over war, we prefer a permanent cessation of hostilities over a stalemate,” the senior Gulf official said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 5, 2026
Mrs. Williams replied that she did not wish to at present, given the hostilities; but that Pro Bono desired to as soon as they might.
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson
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.
