1
as in negative
marked by opposition or ill will
the suggestions for change were given a hostile reception by some of the longtime employees
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2
as in unfavorable
opposed to one's interests
the company's president vows to fight the hostile takeover by the giant corporation
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as in enemy
one that is hostile toward another
reports of hostiles in the area kept the settlers on edge
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Examples of hostile in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Kyler Alvord, Peoplemag, 16 Aug. 2024
One hallmark of the xenomorph—the titular alien of the Alien films—is its adaptability: No matter how hostile the environment, the monster finds a way to endure.
—Fran Hoepfner, The Atlantic, 16 Aug. 2024
But her time with the Biden administration, as well as the GOP’s increasingly hostile stance against transgender people, have warmed the community to Harris.
—Condé Nast, Them, 15 Aug. 2024
Despite his hostile rhetoric toward migrants and immigrants, and a xenophobic patina that has been present since the creation of his political ambitions, Trump is maintaining his most durable lead there.
—Philip Elliott, TIME, 8 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for hostile 
Adjective
But within minutes of the review going live, the woman emailed them again in a more hostile tone than before, seemingly lashing out in response to their post.
—Kyler Alvord, Peoplemag, 16 Aug. 2024
One hallmark of the xenomorph—the titular alien of the Alien films—is its adaptability: No matter how hostile the environment, the monster finds a way to endure.
—Fran Hoepfner, The Atlantic, 16 Aug. 2024
But her time with the Biden administration, as well as the GOP’s increasingly hostile stance against transgender people, have warmed the community to Harris.
—Condé Nast, Them, 15 Aug. 2024
Despite his hostile rhetoric toward migrants and immigrants, and a xenophobic patina that has been present since the creation of his political ambitions, Trump is maintaining his most durable lead there.
—Philip Elliott, TIME, 8 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for hostile
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hostile.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Hostile.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hostile. Accessed 20 Sep. 2024.
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