unfriendly

adjective

un·​friend·​ly ˌən-ˈfren(d)-lē 

: not friendly: such as

a

: hostile, unsympathetic

an unfriendly nation

b

: inhospitable, unfavorable

Synonyms

• antiseptic
• arctic
• brittle
• chill
• chilly
• clammy
• cold
• cold-blooded
• cold-eyed
• coldish
• cool
• frigid
• frosty
• frozen
• gelid
• glacial
• hard-eyed
• icy
• uncordial
• unsympathetic
• wintry
• wintery

Examples of unfriendly in a Sentence

They were very unfriendly to us.

the unfriendly looks quickly warmed when we were recognized as long-unseen relatives

Recent Examples on the Web

Some in the audience blurted comments to Hageman, though this was not unfriendly territory for Trump. —Hannah Schoenbaum, Los Angeles Times, 16 Mar. 2025

Getting ahead of those unfriendly winds may actually be driving the sales bump in the US, where EV sales only grew by less than 8 percent last year, for contrast. —Ars Technica, 12 Mar. 2025

Targeted tariffs can be a useful instrument to shift sourcing away from unfriendly countries. —Chad P. Bown, Foreign Affairs, 11 Mar. 2025

The White House is going straight to the Obama playbook (and not just on dealing with unfriendly reporters). —Chris Stirewalt, The Hill, 14 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for unfriendly

• friendly

Kids Definition

unfriendly

adjective

un·​friend·​ly ˌən-ˈfren-(d)lē 

1

: not friendly or kind : hostile

an unfriendly greeting

2

: not agreeable

an unfriendly environment

unfriendliness noun