unfriendly

[uhn-frend-lee]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR unfriendly ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective, un·friend·li·er, un·friend·li·est.

not amicable; not friendly or kindly in disposition; unsympathetic; aloof: an unfriendly coldness of manner.

hostile; antagonistic: an unfriendly act of aggression.

unfavorable; inhospitable or inimical, as an environment: an unfriendly climate for new ideas.

adverb

in an unfriendly manner.

RELATED WORDS

Origin of unfriendly

before 900; Middle English (adj.); Old English unfreondlīche (adv.). See un-¹, friendly

Related formsun·friend·li·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for unfriendly

Contemporary Examples of unfriendly

One of her most pointed criticisms is that people on the folk scene weren't as unfriendly as the film paints them.
Why No Oscar Love For 'Inside Llewyn Davis'?
Tim Teeman
January 20, 2014
Just how unfriendly are Republicans to the idea of changing the law for unions now?
Obama’s Labor Pains: Unions Rage Against the Affordable Care Act
Patricia Murphy
September 20, 2013
And the second is that government agencies have a tendency to be unfriendly to groups that are unfriendly to them.
Yes, What Happened at the IRS is a Scandal
Megan McArdle
May 16, 2013
They warned prisoners of upcoming searches of their cells by unfriendly colleagues.
Can Maryland Clean Up Out-of-Control Baltimore Jail Corruption?
David Freedlander
April 26, 2013
The channels ignored the deputies, and one outlet even aired a show called Apocalypse: Unfriendly Universe several times a week.
Russians Prepare for World’s End, Buy Candles and Vodka
Anna Nemtsova
December 11, 2012

Historical Examples of unfriendly

It was not unfriendly; it was, indeed, consistently respectful, almost reverential.
K
Mary Roberts Rinehart
Sometimes it is conferred by an unfriendly and inconsiderate hand.
The Devil's Dictionary
Ambrose Bierce
Mulready started and fixed him with a troubled and unfriendly stare.
The Black Bag
Louis Joseph Vance
It must come to a friendly agreement, or an unfriendly crash.
Life And Adventures Of Martin Chuzzlewit
Charles Dickens
Wisdom will never let us stand with any man or men on an unfriendly footing.
Essays, First Series
Ralph Waldo Emerson

British Dictionary definitions for unfriendly

unfriendly

adjective -lier or -liest

not friendly; hostile

unfavourable or disagreeable

adverb

rare in an unfriendly manner

Derived Formsunfriendliness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for unfriendly

adj.

early 15c., "not characteristic of friends," from un- (1) "not" + friendly. Cf. Middle Dutch onvriendelijc, Middle High German unvriuntlich, German unfreundlich. Meaning "hostile, inimical" is recorded from late 15c. Related: Unfriendliness.