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

For a while, that strategy worked, but geopolitical issues and the global pandemic exposed its weaknesses—namely, shipping from Asia to the Americas and beyond can be expensive, slow, environmentally unfriendly and diminish product availability with even the slightest supply chain hiccup. —Jon Desouza, Forbes, 9 Sep. 2024

Office vacancy rates have soared to record highs, and San Francisco is increasingly seen as an unfriendly place for businesses to operate. —William E. Oberndorf, TIME, 9 Sep. 2024

Most white people seemed harmless, if sometimes grumpy, unfriendly, or entitled. —Mohammed Hanif, The New Yorker, 15 Aug. 2024

Peña was impressed by Trump’s willingness to appear before such an unfriendly audience. —E. Tammy Kim, The New Yorker, 19 Aug. 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