- not friendly; hostile
- unfavourable or disagreeable
- rare in an unfriendly manner
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
un•friend•ly /ʌnˈfrɛndli/USA pronunciation
adj., -li•er, -li•est, adv.
adj.
adv.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026adj.
- not friendly or kind;
hostile:a city with unfriendly natives. - unfavorable:an unfriendly environment of snow and ice.
adv.
- in an unfriendly manner:acting unfriendly.
un•friend•ly
(un frend′lē),USA pronunciation adj., -li•er, -li•est, adv.
adj.
adv.
un•friend′li•ness, n.
adj.
- not amicable;
not friendly or kindly in disposition;
unsympathetic;
aloof:an unfriendly coldness of manner. - hostile;
antagonistic:an unfriendly act of aggression. - unfavorable;
inhospitable or inimical, as an environment:an unfriendly climate for new ideas.
adv.
- in an unfriendly manner.
- bef. 900; Middle English (adjective, adjectival); Old English unfreondlīche (adverb, adverbial). See un-1, friendly
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
unfriendly /ʌnˈfrɛndlɪ/ adj ( -lier, -liest)
'unfriendly' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
alienate
- brush
- chilly
- forbidding
- freeze out
- hostile
- inhospitable
- nix
- set against
- adverse
- amiable
- antagonism
- antagonistic
- antagonize
- antisocial
- bad blood
- blow
- chill
- clubby
- cold
- contrary
- counterpropaganda
- cur
- distance
- enemy
- estrange
- fisheye
- freeze
- frosty
- glacial
- hands-off
- hard
- icy
- ill
- ill-disposed
- inimical
- misanthropic
- out
- warlike
- welcome
- standoffish
- stiff
- surly