unfriendly

[ uhn-frend-lee ]

adjective

, un·friend·li·er, un·friend·li·est.

1. not amicable; not friendly or kindly in disposition; unsympathetic; aloof:

   an unfriendly coldness of manner.

2. hostile; antagonistic:

   an unfriendly act of aggression.

3. unfavorable; inhospitable or inimical, as an environment:

   an unfriendly climate for new ideas.

adverb

1. in an unfriendly manner.

unfriendly

/ ʌnˈfrɛndlɪ /

adjective

1. not friendly; hostile
2. unfavourable or disagreeable

adverb

1. rare.
   in an unfriendly manner

Derived Forms

• unˈfriendliness, noun

Other Words From

• un·friendli·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of unfriendly¹

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

Example Sentences

Winter on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau is unfriendly to pikas.

From Science News

Open field tests are useful for calibrating such a technology, but the drone will need to work in much more acoustically unfriendly environments to truly function as a rescue tool.

From Popular-Science

There are also unfriendly, unwelcoming, and even hostile environments specifically for BIPOC members of our community.

From Time

Over the years Rudin has also targeted press he deems unfriendly, blocking access on his projects to reporters who have published stories, sometimes many years before, that Rudin thought did not treat him fairly.

From Washington Post

“Our country’s intelligence leaders have made it clear that putting Americans’ sensitive information in the hands of unfriendly foreign governments is a major risk to national security,” Wyden said in a statement.

From Washington Post

All right, so we know that Loestrin and its ilk are, as Redmond terms it, “hair-unfriendly pills.”

From The Daily Beast

Delays in our assistance are interpreted as deeply unfriendly, especially when Egypt is facing an insurgency in the Sinai.

From The Daily Beast

Upon arrival, Ai and his assistant were greeted by some very unfriendly cops.

From The Daily Beast

One of her most pointed criticisms is that people on the folk scene weren't as unfriendly as the film paints them.

From The Daily Beast

The $400 million website devoted to signing up Americans in search of insurance has become a user-unfriendly nightmare.

From The Daily Beast

I've grown used to seeing you, to having you with me all the time, and your action seems unfriendly, even unkind.

From Project Gutenberg

But Frank had already bought two tickets, and it seemed unfriendly to turn back now.

From Project Gutenberg

The forest had become suddenly unfriendly; its kindliness had somehow vanished.

From Project Gutenberg

Here was a man who stood four square to the winds, undisturbed by the cyclonic outbursts of unfriendly newspapers.

From Project Gutenberg

My reader shall laugh at her; my unfriendly critic shall sneer at her.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• antagonistic
• chilly
• combative
• hateful
• inhospitable
• unfavorable