1
as in negative
marked by opposition or ill will
the suggestions for change were given a hostile reception by some of the longtime employees
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in unfavorable
opposed to one's interests
the company's president vows to fight the hostile takeover by the giant corporation
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in enemy
one that is hostile toward another
reports of hostiles in the area kept the settlers on edge
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of hostile
Kate Wells, NPR, 2 June 2026
The Kuwaiti military issued a statement saying it was forced to intercept several hostile missile and drone attacks on Monday.
—Siladitya Ray, Forbes.com, 1 June 2026
Matthew Stolle, Twin Cities, 28 Jan. 2026
Deputy District Attorney Scott Pirrello told jurors that Bushey had a history of acting hostile toward family members and that his sister’s abrupt presence in the home set him off, leading him to act out and her to fear for her safety.
—City News Service, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for hostile
Adjective
But in the post-COVID era, the sessions became hostile, ineffective, and sometimes even unsafe for staff, local health officials say.
—Kate Wells, NPR, 2 June 2026
The Kuwaiti military issued a statement saying it was forced to intercept several hostile missile and drone attacks on Monday.
—Siladitya Ray, Forbes.com, 1 June 2026
Noun
But no one has just been out-and-out hostile to him.
—Matthew Stolle, Twin Cities, 28 Jan. 2026
Deputy District Attorney Scott Pirrello told jurors that Bushey had a history of acting hostile toward family members and that his sister’s abrupt presence in the home set him off, leading him to act out and her to fear for her safety.
—City News Service, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for hostile
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hostile
Adjective
-
Republicans can be convinced that negative stories about their candidates are media put-ons, and Democrats are a little envious that their voters haven’t adopted the same attitude of ignore, fight, move on, maybe sue.—
David Weigel,
semafor.com,
3 June 2026
-
The system features an open architecture that pairs a pure lithium metal negative electrode directly with ambient oxygen drawn from the surrounding atmosphere to act as the positive electrode reactant.—
Aman Tripathi,
Interesting Engineering,
3 June 2026
Adjective
-
The agreement was immediately challenged in Kenya’s High Court, with opponents criticizing it for unfavorable terms.—
Larry Madowo,
CNN Money,
28 May 2026
-
Wasserman Schultz’s overall rating among Democratic voters in the district, with 80% favorable and 13% unfavorable, is a net positive of 67 percentage points.—
Anthony Man,
Sun Sentinel,
27 May 2026
Noun
-
And both of them with the ability and desire to defend and scramble, and the hunger to attack at the first opportunity without letting a perfect ball be the enemy of the good.—
Matthew Futterman,
New York Times,
31 May 2026
-
Capable of traveling at speeds exceeding Mach 5 while maneuvering in flight, these weapons are designed to compress enemy reaction times and evade many traditional missile defense systems.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
31 May 2026
Adjective
-
Vaccines can and have caused serious adverse effects (but not autism) in specific populations.—
Diana Gitig,
ArsTechnica,
30 May 2026
-
For example, in a March 5 warning letter, the FDA accused drugmaker Novo Nordisk, the maker of Wegovy and Ozempic, of failing to report some adverse events to the federal government, including suicidal ideation and death.—
Maia Rosenfeld,
NBC news,
29 May 2026
Adjective
-
Platforms will be required to introduce safety-by-design features, including protections against manipulative design that encourages compulsive use, and take action against underage accounts and harmful content.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
1 June 2026
-
In addition to being harmful to humans, certain types of mushrooms can be poisonous to pets if consumed.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
1 June 2026
Noun
-
The Spurs became a formidable opponent against the Thunder in a seven-game playoff series and in three out of four regular-season matchups.—
Mark Medina,
Forbes.com,
31 May 2026
-
Yet, San Antonio should be well-prepared for the challenge, having beaten the reigning champion Thunder, which started this season 24-1 and swept its first two playoff opponents.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
31 May 2026
Adjective
-
Further, a separate gesture from De Paul that appeared antagonistic toward those supporters went uncaptured, as did Messi’s post-game maneuver to round up De Paul and Suarez, keeping them away explicitly from La Familia’s side of the stadium during post-game pleasantries.—
Ian Nicholas Quillen,
Forbes.com,
22 May 2026
-
While Foote attempted to project positivity, his daily briefings were often unclear and antagonistic with the local media.—
Thomas Drance,
New York Times,
19 May 2026
Noun
-
Daemon rocks the trailer with blood on his face from sticking his sword into foes.—
Bryan Alexander,
USA Today,
29 May 2026
-
The Bruins have faced foes’ best efforts all season.—
Aaron Heisen,
Daily News,
29 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hostile.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hostile. Accessed 4 Jun. 2026.
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