hostile

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French hostile, from Latin hostīlis, from hostis (“enemy”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈhɒstaɪl/, /ˈhɒstəl/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈhɑstəl/, /ˈhɑstaɪl/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Homophone: hostel (one pronunciation)
• Rhymes: -ɒstəl

Adjective

hostile (comparative more hostile, superlative most hostile)

1. Belonging or appropriate to an enemy; showing the disposition of an enemy; showing ill will and malevolence, or a desire to thwart and injure; occupied by an enemy or enemies; inimical; unfriendly

   a hostile force

   hostile intentions

   a hostile country

   hostile to a sudden change

2. Aggressive, antagonistic.
3. Of a hostile takeover.

   Microsoft may go hostile in its bid for Yahoo as soon as Friday, according to a published report.

Synonyms

• antagonistic
• hateful
• See also Thesaurus:hostile

Antonyms

• friendly

Related terms

• hostility
• hostilely
• host
• See also Thesaurus:combative

Translations

belonging or appropriate to an enemy

• Albanian: armiqësor (sq)
• Bulgarian: вражески (bg) (vražeski), неприятелски (bg) (neprijatelski), враждебен (bg) (vraždeben)
• Catalan: hostil
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 敵對 (zh), 敌对 (zh) (díduì), 懷有敵意的, 怀有敌意的 (huáiyǒu díyì de)

• Czech: nepřátelský m
• Dutch: vijandig (nl)
• Esperanto: malamika
• Finnish: vihamielinen (fi)
• French: hostile (fr)
• German: feindlich (de)
• Greek: εχθρικός (el) m (echthrikós)
• Hungarian: ellenséges (hu)
• Japanese: 敵の (ja) (kataki no), 敵対的な (tekitaiteki na)

• Korean: 적대적인 (jeokdaejeogin)
• Latin: hostilis (la), alienus (la)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: fiendtlig

  Nynorsk: fiendtleg

• Polish: wrogi (pl) m
• Portuguese: hostil (pt)
• Quechua: awqa (qu)
• Romanian: ostil (ro) m, n
• Russian: вражде́бный (ru) (vraždébnyj), вра́жеский (ru) (vrážeskij) (belonging to an enemy)
• Scottish Gaelic: nàimhdeach, nàimhdeil, eucairdeach
• Spanish: hostil (es)
• Swedish: fientlig (sv)

antagonistic

• Bulgarian: враждебен (bg) (vraždeben)
• Esperanto: malamika, malamikema
• Greek: εχθρικός (el) m (echthrikós)

• Japanese: 敵対的な (tekitaiteki na)
• Maori: taraweti

Noun

hostile (plural hostiles)

1. (chiefly in the plural) An enemy.

Translations

an enemy

• Albanian: armiqësor (sq)
• Bulgarian: враг (bg) m (vrag)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 敵人 (zh), 敌人 (zh) (dírén)

• Greek: εχθρός (el) m (echthrós)
• Old Turkic: 𐰖𐰍𐰃‎‎ (yaɣï)

Anagrams

• Elohist, eoliths, holiest, sholtie

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French

Etymology

From Middle French hostile, hostif (this form with a change of suffix), borrowed from Latin hostilis.

Pronunciation

• ^{(mute h)} IPA^(key): /ɔs.til/

• Audio

  (file)

Adjective

hostile (plural hostiles)

1. hostile
2. unfriendly

Synonyms

• ennemi

Related terms

• hostilité
• ost

Further reading

• “hostile” in le Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

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Latin

Adjective

hostīle

1. nominative neuter singular of hostīlis
2. accusative neuter singular of hostīlis
3. vocative neuter singular of hostīlis

References

• hostile in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition, 1883–1887)