frenemy
noun
fren·e·my
ˈfre-nə-mē 
plural frenemies
informal
: a person who is or pretends to be a friend but who is also in some ways an enemy or rival
In Hollywood, everyone has lots of frenemies, usually people who are doing comparatively well at any given moment.—
Pete Clark
Pete ClarkIn an awkward awards ceremony, Phil [Mickelson] and Tiger [Woods] stood on the 18th green together as frenemies. Phil held up the crystal trophy for the tournament title, while Tiger squirreled away a $10 million bonus for winning the FedEx Cup …—Selena Roberts
Selena RobertsExamples of frenemy in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Meanwhile Elon Musk’s old frenemy and PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel, the first of the Silicon Valley tycoons to endorse Trump way back in the innocent times of 2016, had paid $15 million to help get his protégé J.D.
—Alex Morris, Rolling Stone, 15 June 2025
With human actors, there's more of a high-school movie vibe as Hiccup becomes more accepted among the young Vikings, and the relationship between Thames’ Hiccup and his frenemy/crush Astrid (Nico Parker) is built out a little more here.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 10 June 2025
That narrative is playing out more and more in the media and will doubtless be amplified by Trump's new frenemy, Elon Musk.
—Kate Plummer, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 June 2025
For those who haven't seen Robert Zemeckis' 1992 film, from which the stage show is adapted, Helen (played by Goldie Hawn) famously has a breakdown after her ex-fiancé Earnest (Bruce Willis) leaves her for her glamorous frenemy, Madeline (Meryl Streep).
—Dave Quinn, People.com, 5 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for frenemy
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Alex Morris, Rolling Stone, 15 June 2025
With human actors, there's more of a high-school movie vibe as Hiccup becomes more accepted among the young Vikings, and the relationship between Thames’ Hiccup and his frenemy/crush Astrid (Nico Parker) is built out a little more here.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 10 June 2025
That narrative is playing out more and more in the media and will doubtless be amplified by Trump's new frenemy, Elon Musk.
—Kate Plummer, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 June 2025
For those who haven't seen Robert Zemeckis' 1992 film, from which the stage show is adapted, Helen (played by Goldie Hawn) famously has a breakdown after her ex-fiancé Earnest (Bruce Willis) leaves her for her glamorous frenemy, Madeline (Meryl Streep).
—Dave Quinn, People.com, 5 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for frenemy
Cite this Entry
“Frenemy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/frenemy. Accessed 25 Jun. 2025.
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