archenemy

noun

arch·​en·​e·​my (ˌ)ärch-ˈe-nə-mē How to pronounce archenemy (audio)
plural archenemies
: a principal enemy

Examples of archenemy in a Sentence

The two politicians were archenemies. The country went to war with its archenemy.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
That same event also revealed that Robert Downey Jr. will take play Doctor Doom, the Fantastic Four's traditional archenemy, in the MCU. Christian Holub, EW.com, 8 Jan. 2025 In one scene, while finalizing his master plan to steal back the Blue Diamond after escaping from zoo jail, Feathers parallels James Bond’s archenemy, Blofeld, by showing a softer side to an animal while seated on a chair. Devon Ivie, Vulture, 6 Jan. 2025 The show follows a parallel timeline where Peter Parker, aka Spider-Man, was mentored by Norman Osborn, the alter-ego of his archenemy Green Goblin, instead of Tony Stark like in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Jack Dunn, Variety, 29 Dec. 2024 McCarthy became the first speaker ever to be removed in the middle of his term through a motion to vacate, forced out by his archenemy, then-Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla. Scott Wong, NBC news, 31 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for archenemy 

Word History

First Known Use

1550, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of archenemy was in 1550

Dictionary Entries Near archenemy

Cite this Entry

“Archenemy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/archenemy. Accessed 20 Jan. 2025.

Kids Definition

archenemy

noun
arch·​en·​e·​my (ˈ)ärch-ˈen-ə-mē How to pronounce archenemy (audio)
: a principal enemy

More from Merriam-Webster on archenemy

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!