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

Russia’s claim relates to a broader concern that the U.S. has essentially ignored unfriendly provisions in the treaty—such as oversight requirements—while exploiting advantageous ones, such as formulas for shelf expansion. —Jack Truesdale, The Atlantic, 25 Jan. 2025

Rosie, a feral cat his wife adopted and slowly coaxed into trusting her, was skittish and unfriendly, and rarely interacted with Mr. Escott. —Kellen Browning, New York Times, 17 Jan. 2025

As always the libraries of Hulu and Disney+ (and multiple available bundles) are here to help, with new shows and movies (both family friendly and… a little unfriendly) available to stream. —Proma Khosla, IndieWire, 16 Jan. 2025

Jeep and its sister brands are steering away from chrome due to health hazards and environmentally unfriendly production processes. —Scotty Reiss, Forbes, 30 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

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