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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of hostile
Jon Coupal, Oc Register, 26 Apr. 2026
As the Navy’s prime submarine contractor, Electric Boat is at the center of a push to replace an aging submarine force as the country races to balance China’s rapid naval expansion and its increasingly hostile posture in the Indo-Pacific.
—Edmund H. Mahony, Hartford Courant, 26 Apr. 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
These include decisions by a hostile California judiciary which, especially in the last two decades, have sided with the government and its special interest benefactors by creating loopholes that significantly weakened taxpayer protections that had stood for over 40 years.
—Jon Coupal, Oc Register, 26 Apr. 2026
As the Navy’s prime submarine contractor, Electric Boat is at the center of a push to replace an aging submarine force as the country races to balance China’s rapid naval expansion and its increasingly hostile posture in the Indo-Pacific.
—Edmund H. Mahony, Hartford Courant, 26 Apr. 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
-
According to Newsweek, the overall score was composed of 80% from survey results, and 20% from social listening analysis, which analyzed media coverage and online discussion to assess whether public sentiment was positive, neutral or negative.—
Finch Walker,
USA Today,
29 Apr. 2026
-
The contest aims to challenge negative stereotypes of seagulls, which are often seen as a nuisance, by imitating them, per local network WTV.—
Adam England,
PEOPLE,
29 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
If the resolution is unfavorable to the community groups — who are also backed by the Black Political Caucus of Charlotte-Mecklenburg — that frustration will fall back on somebody, Bokhari said.—
Nick Sullivan,
Charlotte Observer,
27 Apr. 2026
-
With race and ethnicity always a factor in Chicago politics, white respondents had the most unfavorable view of the city’s Black mayor, at 54%, while 27% of white respondents viewed Johnson favorably.—
Rick Pearson,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
These are effective, but require attacks to be initiated from outside enemy airspace.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
26 Apr. 2026
-
People of faith are not so easily deterred from speaking truth to power, even to power unafraid to drop bombs on its enemies.—
Ciera Bates-Chamberlain,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Additionally, there were no serious adverse effects reported.—
Stephanie Pappas,
Scientific American,
24 Apr. 2026
-
There were no concerns over safety or adverse events.—
Beth Mole,
ArsTechnica,
24 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
But research has shown that several metabolic and heart diseases impair the immune system’s ability to moderate inflammation—causing harmful levels of inflammation in response to high cholesterol, fat or glucose.—
Lauren J. Young,
Scientific American,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Today, 87% of agricultural subsidies are environmentally or socially harmful.—
Carlos Alvarado Quesada,
Fortune,
27 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Those ratings create an estimate of how many goals each team is expected to score and allow in a game against an average opponent at a neutral site.—
Dom Luszczyszyn,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Ramaswamy feels so assured of gliding through the May 5 primary that his campaign has all but ignored his GOP opponent so far.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
26 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Their announcement was a departure from what has been the more typically adversarial relationship between Mamdani and Menin, who stand on different ends of the Democratic Party spectrum and have developed mostly antagonistic positions in the city’s budget process.—
Josephine Stratman,
New York Daily News,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Federal efforts to kill the project California must also contend with a federal government antagonistic toward offshore wind.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Mason Gadbois led the attack with five goals to go with a pair of assists, as Danvers rallied to topple Northeastern Conference foe Winthrop, 13-11.—
Brian Roach,
Boston Herald,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Golden suggested national champion Michigan and in-state foe Miami as possibilities.—
Mark Long,
The Orlando Sentinel,
24 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hostile.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hostile. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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