hostility

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UK/hɒsˈtɪlɪti/Atlantic Canada, US/hɑˈstɪlɪti/Atlantic Canada, US[hɑˈstɪlɪɾi]Atlantic Canada, US/hɑˈstɪləti/

noun

The state of being hostile.

“My resentment and anger towards you caused hostility and a division between us.”

Less commonScrabble 15

Meanings

nounhostility (countable and uncountable, plural hostilities)

plural hostilities

  1. uncountableThe state of being hostile.

    My resentment and anger towards you caused hostility and a division between us.

    3 more examples

    There is no hostilitie so excellent, as that which is absolutely Christian.

    1603, Michel de Montaigne, chapter 12, in John Florio, transl., The Essayes […], book II, London: […] Val[entine] Simmes for Edward Blount […], →OCLC

    But with Goodison Park openly directing its full hostility towards Atkinson, Liverpool went ahead when Carroll turned in his first Premier League goal of the season after 70 minutes.

    2011 October 1, Phil McNulty, “Everton 0-2 Liverpool”, in BBC Sport, archived from the original on 03 Apr 2017

    The polarization of wealth and the polarization of attitudes to diversity are not unrelated. A key reason for popular hostility to immigrants is that to many people, particularly within working-class communities, immigration has become a symbol of unacceptable change.

    2013 September 28, Kenan Malik, “London Is Special, but Not That Special”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 10 Oct 2021, retrieved 28 Sep 2013

    Synonyms: antagonism, opposition, enmity, animosity, antipathy, hatred, unfriendliness, animus

  2. countableA hostile action, especially a military action. See hostilities for specific plural definition.

    As the revivals died down in the 1740s, the revivalist camp made concessions to their opponents, admonished prorevivalists who continued with the hostilities, and generally sought to heal divisions.

    2006, Michael P. Young, Bearing Witness Against Sin

    Synonyms: war, fighting, combat

Synonyms & antonyms

nounA hostile action, especially a military action. See hostilities for specific plural definition.

antonym(s) of “state of being hostile”

antonym(s) of “military action”

Opposite

More synonyms by meaning

nouna hostile (very unfriendly) disposition

Similar

nouna state of deep-seated ill-will

Broader

nounthe feeling of a hostile person

Broader

nounviolent action that is hostile and usually unprovoked

Similar
Broader

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Latinhostīlitās
  2. Old Frenchhostilité
  3. Middle Englishhostilitie
  4. Englishhostility

From Middle English hostilitie, hostilite, from Old French hostilité, from Latin hostīlitās. By surface analysis, hostile + -ity.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Afrikaans vyandigheid, vyandigheid
  • vyandigheidstate of being hostile
  • vyandigheidhostile action, especially a military action
Ancient Greek ἔχθρα
  • ἔχθρα (ékhthra)state of being hostile
Arabic عَدَاوَة, عَدَاء
  • عَدَاوَة (ʕadāwa)state of being hostile
  • عَدَاء (ʕadāʔ)state of being hostile
Bengali বিবাদ, শত্রুতা
  • বিবাদ (bibad)state of being hostile
  • শত্রুতা (śotruta)state of being hostile
  • বিবাদ (bibad)hostile action, especially a military action
Bulgarian вражде́бност, вражда́
  • вражде́бност (vraždébnost)state of being hostile
  • вражда́ (vraždá)state of being hostile
  • неприя́зън (neprijázăn)state of being hostile
  • вое́нни де́йствия (voénni déjstvija)hostile action, especially a military action
Catalan hostilitat, hostilitat
  • hostilitatstate of being hostile
  • hostilitathostile action, especially a military action
Chinese Mandarin 敵意 /敌意
  • 敵意 /敌意 (díyì)state of being hostile
Czech nepřátelství
  • nepřátelstvístate of being hostile
Danish fjendtlighed
  • fjendtlighedstate of being hostile
Dutch hostiliteit, vijandigheid
  • hostiliteitstate of being hostile
  • vijandigheidstate of being hostile
  • vijandschapstate of being hostile
  • vijandigheidhostile action, especially a military action
  • vijandelijkheidhostile action, especially a military action
Esperanto malamikeco
  • malamikecostate of being hostile
Estonian vaenulikkus
  • vaenulikkusstate of being hostile
Finnish vihamielisyys, vihamielinen teko
  • vihamielisyysstate of being hostile
  • vihamielinen tekohostile action, especially a military action
  • sotatoimihostile action, especially a military action
French hostilité
  • hostilitéstate of being hostile
German Feindseligkeit, Feindschaft
  • Feindseligkeitstate of being hostile
  • Feindschaftstate of being hostile
Greek εχθρότητα, εχθρικότητα
  • εχθρότητα (echthrótita)state of being hostile
  • εχθρικότητα (echthrikótita)state of being hostile
  • εχθροπραξία (echthropraxía)hostile action, especially a military action
Hebrew אֵיבָה
  • אֵיבָה (eyvá)state of being hostile
Hindi वैर, शत्रुता
  • वैर (vair)state of being hostile
  • शत्रुता (śatrutā)state of being hostile
  • बैर (bair)state of being hostile
Hungarian viszály, ellenségeskedés
  • viszálystate of being hostile
  • ellenségeskedésstate of being hostile
Icelandic fjandskapur, óvild
  • fjandskapurstate of being hostile
  • óvildstate of being hostile
  • óvináttastate of being hostile
Italian ostilità
  • ostilitàstate of being hostile
Japanese 敵対, 敵意
  • 敵対 (tekitai)state of being hostile
  • 敵意 (tekii)state of being hostile
  • 事変 (jihen)hostile action, especially a military action
Korean 적의, 적대
  • 적의 (jeogui)state of being hostile
  • 적대 (jeokdae)state of being hostile
Latin hostīlitās
  • hostīlitāsstate of being hostile
Latvian ienaids
  • ienaidsstate of being hostile
Lithuanian priešiškumas
  • priešiškumasstate of being hostile
Malay permusuhan, pertempuran
  • permusuhanstate of being hostile
  • pertempuranhostile action, especially a military action
Māori whakariri
  • whakariristate of being hostile
Norwegian Bokmål fiendtlighet
  • fiendtlighetstate of being hostile
Persian دشمنی, عداوت
  • دشمنی (došmani)state of being hostile
  • عداوت ('adâvat)state of being hostile
  • خصومت (xosumat)state of being hostile
Polish wrogość, nieprzyjaźń
  • wrogośćstate of being hostile
  • nieprzyjaźństate of being hostile
  • działania wojennehostile action, especially a military action
Portuguese hostilidade
  • hostilidadestate of being hostile
Romanian ostilitate, dușmănie
  • ostilitatestate of being hostile
  • dușmăniestate of being hostile
Russian вражде́бность, вражда́
  • вражде́бность (vraždébnostʹ)state of being hostile
  • вражда́ (vraždá)state of being hostile
  • неприя́тие (neprijátije)state of being hostile
  • неприя́знь (neprijáznʹ)state of being hostile
  • вражде́бный акт (vraždébnyj akt)hostile action, especially a military action
  • вое́нные де́йствия (vojénnyje déjstvija)hostile action, especially a military action
  • боевы́е де́йствия (bojevýje déjstvija)hostile action, especially a military action
Slovak nepriateľstvo
  • nepriateľstvostate of being hostile
Spanish hostilidad, hostilidad
  • hostilidadstate of being hostile
  • hostilidadhostile action, especially a military action
Swahili uadui
  • uaduistate of being hostile
Swedish fientlighet
  • fientlighetstate of being hostile
Turkish düşmanlık, yağılık
  • düşmanlıkstate of being hostile
  • yağılıkstate of being hostile
  • husumetstate of being hostile
  • hasımlıkstate of being hostile
  • adavetstate of being hostile
  • saldırgan harekethostile action, especially a military action
Ukrainian воро́жість, ворожне́ча
  • воро́жість (voróžistʹ)state of being hostile
  • ворожне́ча (vorožnéča)state of being hostile
  • непри́язнь (neprýjaznʹ)state of being hostile
  • ворожда́ (voroždá)state of being hostile
  • воє́нні ді́ї (vojénni díji)hostile action, especially a military action
  • військо́ві ді́ї (vijsʹkóvi díji)hostile action, especially a military action
  • бойові́ ді́ї (bojoví díji)hostile action, especially a military action
Urdu دشمنی, عداوت
  • دشمنی (duśmanī)state of being hostile
  • عداوت ('adāvat)state of being hostile

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with hostility

All rhymes →
Cite this entry
APA

hostility. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hostility

MLA

“hostility.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hostility. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “hostility,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hostility.

Source: hostility on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.