unfriendly
Americanadjective
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not amicable; not friendly or kindly in disposition; unsympathetic; aloof.
an unfriendly coldness of manner.
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hostile; antagonistic.
an unfriendly act of aggression.
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unfavorable; inhospitable or inimical, as an environment.
an unfriendly climate for new ideas.
adverb
adjective
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not friendly; hostile
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unfavourable or disagreeable
adverb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of unfriendly
before 900; Middle English (adj.); Old English unfreondlīche (adv.). See un- 1, friendly
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.
"If he were to adopt an unfriendly stance -- demanding concessions from China or attempting to coerce us into doing things we are unwilling to do, we would strike back with force," Wen told AFP.
From Barron's • Apr. 23, 2026
The exchange went down after the unfriendly parties apparently spotted one another on a Delta flight from San Francisco to New York’s JFK airport.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 10, 2026
Tananarive Due and Steven Barnes examine what happens to children left behind in an unfriendly and chaotic world.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 12, 2025
Looking ahead: “The labor market is holding on, though it remains fairly unfriendly to job seekers,” said Elizabeth Renter, senior economist at NerdWallet.
From MarketWatch • Dec. 9, 2025
“Those open paths had an old-fashioned elegance to them. It is part of an old and fading spirit of community. Blocking them off is an unfriendly and antipublic thing to do.”
From "Class Matters" by The New York Times
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.
