Antonyms for hostile


Grammar : Adj
Spell : hos-tl or, esp. British, -tahyl
Phonetic Transcription : ˈhɒs tl or, esp. British, -taɪl


Definition of hostile

Origin :
  • late 15c., from Middle French hostile "of or belonging to an enemy" or directly from Latin hostilis "of an enemy," from hostis "enemy" (see guest). The noun meaning "hostile person" is recorded from 1838, American English, a word from the Indian wars.
  • adj antagonistic, mean
Example sentences :
  • They were all facing him, and their faces were alive with interest; yet they made no hostile move.
  • Extract from : « Way of the Lawless » by Max Brand
  • They must proceed, in fact, as if they were founding a great city on a hostile soil.
  • Extract from : « Stories from Thucydides » by H. L. Havell
  • It was curious how much help he expected of Vicksburg, a hostile town.
  • Extract from : « The Rock of Chickamauga » by Joseph A. Altsheler
  • The boy who crossed the bridge found himself in hostile country.
  • Extract from : « Micah Clarke » by Arthur Conan Doyle
  • At first suspicious and hostile, White Fang grew to like this petting.
  • Extract from : « White Fang » by Jack London
  • But the god made no hostile movement, and went on calmly talking.
  • Extract from : « White Fang » by Jack London
  • He heard Grey Beaver chuckle above him, and he knew the sound was not hostile.
  • Extract from : « White Fang » by Jack London
  • I pulled the chariot out, and drove off the hostile mercenaries.
  • Extract from : « The Chinese Fairy Book » by Various
  • He told his story, did Blake, before a battery of hostile eyes.
  • Extract from : « Astounding Stories of Super-Science, November, 1930 » by Various
  • We thought it meant 'We are going (p. 201) to rub against you and are hostile.'
  • Extract from : « The Story of the Great War, Volume III (of VIII) » by Various

Synonyms for hostile

Based on : Thesaurus.com - Gutenberg.org - Dictionary.com - Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019