inhospitable

adjective

in·​hos·​pi·​ta·​ble ˌin-(ˌ)hä-ˈspi-tə-bəl How to pronounce inhospitable (audio) (ˌ)in-ˈhä-(ˌ)spi- How to pronounce inhospitable (audio)
1
: not showing hospitality : not friendly or receptive
2
: providing no shelter or sustenance
an inhospitable environment
inhospitableness noun
inhospitably
ˌin-(ˌ)hä-ˈspi-tə-blē How to pronounce inhospitable (audio)
(ˌ)in-ˈhä-(ˌ)spi-
adverb

Examples of inhospitable in a Sentence

It's very inhospitable of him to be so rude to strangers. the proposal received an unexpectedly inhospitable response from the city council
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.
Io is tiny in comparison with Jupiter, as seen in this animation, and the giant planet's gravitational forces cause the inhospitable conditions on the fiery moon. Ashley Strickland, CNN, 13 Dec. 2024 That has meant selling most of its big-ticket office properties and assets in New York City, which Morali calls inhospitable for business, and going back to the apartment business that made the family so successful in the first place—returning to its New Jersey roots and beyond. Monica Hunter-Hart, Forbes, 27 Oct. 2024 The comments about President-elect Donald J. Trump’s pick to lead the department inflamed Republican politicians, who often say universities are inhospitable to conservative values and are likely to point to this example as evidence during the next round of state budget deliberations. Kelly Meyerhofer, Journal Sentinel, 9 Dec. 2024 In some places, particularly those with abundant natural resources and diseases that made life inhospitable for colonizers, Europeans focused on extracting wealth and exploiting native populations as labor. Neil Irwin, Axios, 14 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for inhospitable 

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1570, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of inhospitable was circa 1570

Dictionary Entries Near inhospitable

Cite this Entry

“Inhospitable.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/inhospitable. Accessed 2 Jan. 2025.

Kids Definition

inhospitable

adjective
in·​hos·​pi·​ta·​ble ˌin-(ˌ)häs-ˈpit-ə-bəl How to pronounce inhospitable (audio) (ˈ)in-ˈhäs-(ˌ)pit- How to pronounce inhospitable (audio)
1
: not friendly or generous : not showing hospitality
2
: providing no shelter or food : barren
an inhospitable desert
inhospitably adverb
inhospitality
(ˌ)in-ˌhäs-pə-ˈtal-ət-ē
noun
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!