hospitable

[ hos-pi-tuh-buhl, ho-spit-uh-buhl ]

adjective

1. receiving or treating guests or strangers warmly and generously:

   a hospitable family.

2. characterized by or betokening warmth and generosity toward guests or strangers:

   a hospitable smile.

3. favorably receptive or open (usually followed by to ):

   to be hospitable to new ideas; a climate hospitable to the raising of corn.

hospitable

/ hɒˈspɪt-; ˈhɒspɪtəbəl /

adjective

1. welcoming to guests or strangers
2. fond of entertaining
3. receptive

   hospitable to new ideas

Derived Forms

• ˈhospitableness, noun
• ˈhospitably, adverb

Other Words From

• hospi·ta·ble·ness noun
• hospi·ta·bly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of hospitable¹

First recorded in 1560–70; from Latin hospitā(re) “to receive as guest” (compare Latin hospitārī “to be a guest”; hospitium ) + -ble

Word History and Origins

Origin of hospitable¹

C16: from Medieval Latin hospitāre to receive as a guest, from Latin hospes guest, host ¹

Example Sentences

That’s because people who are overweight or obese have more body fat — which is more hospitable than other tissue to the coronavirus — and they suffer from reduced lung capacity.

From Washington Post

We also pointed out that many types of microbes are extremely hardy and can readily survive the vacuum of space by going dormant until they are in a hospitable environment.

From Science News

Part of the surge was expected, as colder weather pushed people indoors into environments more hospitable to spreading the virus.

From Washington Post

Initially we were doing takeout and delivery that was extremely no contact and figuring ways to make the experience personal and hospitable within the framework.

From Eater

Meaning, you create a hospitable environment, then pass the functioning within that environment to her.

From Washington Post

In return we lent the hospitable Post our halftones, and they adorned its first city edition next morning.

From The Daily Beast

To make the environment more hospitable, Abramson made sure they had plenty of snacks.

From The Daily Beast

I spent a month doing AIDS work in Uganda among lovely, hospitable people, who had they known I was gay, would have driven me out.

From The Daily Beast

But what those hospitable South Carolinians have not heard about is Jay Stamper.

From The Daily Beast

We have a culture that has lost engagement with the process of serving food to people in a hospitable way.

From The Daily Beast

He was a very tall man, and he had a very tall and hospitable daughter, nearly as big as himself, who received us very cordially.

From Project Gutenberg

Gwynne looked more than hospitable as he ran down the veranda steps to assist his guests out of the high buggy.

From Project Gutenberg

We spent a very happy day at the hospitable country house of Mr. Wardrope, and our cavalcade to the town at night was delightful.

From Project Gutenberg

Val played the hospitable host; but there was a shadow on his face that his wife did not fail to see.

From Project Gutenberg

The rulers of his country have always been hospitable and favourably inclined towards my family.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• congenial
• courteous
• friendly
• neighborly