- aggressive or unfriendly and ready to argue or fight
- The speaker got a hostile reception from the audience.
- hostile to/towards somebody/something She was openly hostile towards her parents.
Extra ExamplesTopics Opinion and argumentc1, Feelingsc1- He was extremely hostile towards her.
- The audience gave him a downright hostile reception.
- The experience has made him generally hostile to women.
- The press became uniformly hostile to the new administration.
- They were reluctant to take any step that might be regarded as hostile.
- politically hostile newspapers
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs- appear
- be
- feel
- …
- bitterly
- decidedly
- deeply
- …
- to
- towards/toward
- strongly rejecting something synonym opposed
- The proposals have provoked a hostile response from opposition parties.
- hostile to something Many of the employees were hostile to the idea of change.
- Many people were openly hostile to the idea.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs- appear
- be
- feel
- …
- bitterly
- decidedly
- deeply
- …
- to
- towards/toward
- making it difficult for something to happen or to be achieved
- hostile conditions for plants to grow in
- belonging to a military enemy
- hostile territory
- (business) (of an offer to buy a company, etc.) not wanted by the company that is to be bought
- a hostile takeover bid
Word Originlate 16th cent.: from French, or from Latin hostilis, from hostis ‘stranger, enemy’.
Check pronunciation:
hostile