hospitable
Americanadjective
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receiving or treating guests or strangers warmly and generously.
a hospitable family.
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characterized by or betokening warmth and generosity toward guests or strangers.
a hospitable smile.
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favorably receptive or open (usually followed byto ).
to be hospitable to new ideas; a climate hospitable to the raising of corn.
adjective
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welcoming to guests or strangers
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fond of entertaining
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receptive
hospitable to new ideas
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of hospitable
First recorded in 1560–70; from Latin hospitā(re) “to receive as guest” (compare Latin hospitārī “to be a guest”; see hospitium) + -ble
Explanation
When someone makes you feel comfortable and at home, that person is being hospitable, providing a warm, friendly environment. Anything hospitable is welcoming and open. A Greek proverb suggested that in being hospitable, the main feeling should be good will. The basis for the word hospitable is the Latin hospes, which refers to welcoming a guest, a word that evolved into meaning "to entertain." Consider that being hospitable means, as someone once said, “making your guests feel at home, even though you wish they were.” In other words, entertaining them. (You can also “entertain” new ideas with an open, hospitable mind.)
Vocabulary lists containing hospitable
100 SAT Words Beginning with "H"
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You're Too Kind! Synonyms for "Generous"
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Selection Vocabulary 3, Unit 5
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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.
"Wales is incredibly hospitable, and I really do love that about our country," she added.
From BBC ● Aug. 1, 2026
There’s the German traveling in the opposite direction from Atlanta who could not get over the wonders of the hospitable South, from Stone Mountain to Buc-ees.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 15, 2026
"We don't know yet if any planets orbiting M dwarfs are hospitable to life, but I feel confident that space weather is going to be an important part of answering that question."
From Science Daily ● Mar. 27, 2026
Black women today are starting their own businesses at a faster clip than any other demographic in America, according to a recent report—and a less hospitable corporate world has a lot to do with it.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 15, 2026
They were hospitable and delighted in parties, and in presents, which they gave away freely and eagerly accepted.
From "The Fellowship of the Ring" by J.R.R. Tolkien
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.
