hospitality

American  

[hos-pi-tal-i-tee] / ˌhɒs pɪˈtæl ɪ ti /

noun

• hospitalities
  plural

1. 

   the friendly reception and treatment of guests or strangers.

   Hospitality at the hotel is fantastic, with staff who offered us refreshing drinks and comfortable chairs while we waited to check in.

2. the quality or disposition of receiving and treating guests and strangers in a warm, friendly, generous way.

   In many cultures, hospitality plays a significant role in social interactions, as individuals are often judged by their ability to extend kindness and generosity toward others.

   Synonyms:

   friendliness, geniality, cordiality, warmth

3. the business or act of providing accommodation, food, drink, and other services to guests (often used attributively).

   She has held several executive-level positions in hospitality.

   This course will appeal to students who want to make a career for themselves in the hospitality industry.

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hospitality British  

/ ˌhɒspɪˈtælɪtɪ /

noun

1. kindness in welcoming strangers or guests

2. receptiveness

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• hospitalities
  plural

Etymology

Origin of hospitality

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English hospitalite, from Middle French, from Latin hospitālitās, from hospitāli(s) “of a guest, hospitable” ( see hospital) + -tās -ty ²

Explanation

A reputation for hospitality means you're known for being kind and welcoming to visitors, which may also mean that you always have a full house at Thanksgiving. Hospitalitem is a Latin word meaning "friendliness to guests," so it's not hard to see where the word hospitality comes from. Showing hospitality involves making others feel comfortable and welcome in your home. If you're grumpy and prefer to be left alone, this word probably won't ever be used to describe you, nor are you likely headed for a career in the hospitality industry.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

hospitality hospitalities

What diners surrendered wasn’t necessarily quality so much as a little hospitality, a little transparency and, increasingly, the expectation that a restaurant represented somebody’s particular idea of what a restaurant should be.

From Salon ● Oct. 3, 2026

Michael Romero said his mother was a supremely hard worker, who did everything she could to support her three sons while making a living in hospitality.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2026

The leisure and hospitality sector added 22,000 jobs.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026

Mundhe has been criticised by sections of the food and hospitality industry over his enforcement drives.

From BBC ● Sep. 27, 2026

Its square tower stood above the trees in sign of welcome to the travelers, who were most grateful for the hospitality of the abbot.

From "The Door in the Wall" by Marguerite de Angeli

“I would love to see us kind of have more of an F1-style approach to a race weekend and how we host hospitalities, parties, just all those things,” Hamlin said.

From Seattle Times ● Oct. 21, 2021

We were sad to leave the Senn residence, and thankful for their kind hospitalities, vowing to come soon for another visit.

From Time Magazine Archive

Next we went to London, where we enjoyed the pleasant hospitalities of our ambassador, Whitelaw Reid.

From Under Four Administrations From Cleveland to Taft by Oscar S. Straus

He issued invitations for a dinner at Delmonico's, and gave it on a scale of splendor that eclipsed all his previous hospitalities.

From An Ambitious Woman A Novel by Edgar Fawcett

His allowance enabled him to play his part in the hospitalities of University life with credit, and he showed no disposition to exceed it.

From Peter Binney A Novel by Archibald Marshall

Related Words

• accommodation
• companionship
• friendliness
• generosity
• reception
• warmth