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

Their real problem is the loss of Senate candidates and incumbents who were able to shed the national party label and compete in places that are unfriendly to Democrats. —G. Elliott Morris, ABC News, 12 Dec. 2024

The stock’s gains come despite the former president being viewed as unfriendly to clean energy stocks, which can include electric vehicle manufacturers such as Tesla. —Gabrielle Fonrouge,annika Kim Constantino,michele Luhn,ashley Capoot,julie Coleman,josephine Rozzelle,ece Yildirim,ruxandra Iordache,dan Mangan,kevin Breuninger,cj Haddad, CNBC, 6 Nov. 2024

But there are less conventional and more unfriendly tactics that may be effective in driving voters to the polls: appeals based on shame, peer pressure and the threat of informing one’s neighbors that one stayed home on Election Day. —Baltimore Sun Editorial Board, Baltimore Sun, 4 Nov. 2024

Singapore has also become a safe haven for Chinese companies navigating an increasingly unfriendly world. —Nicholas Gordon, Fortune Asia, 27 Nov. 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