# friendly

Pronunciation: say "FREND-lee" /ˈfɹɛnd.li/

## Adjective

1. Warm, approachable, and easy to get along with by nature.
   - Simple: Warm and kind, and easy to talk to or get along with.
   - _She has a friendly manner that puts strangers at ease._
   - _The café owner was so friendly that we came back the next day._
2. Compatible with, or not damaging to, a particular thing, usually named by a noun joined in front of it.
   - Simple: Not harmful to something, or working well with it, often joined to a word in front, as in eco-friendly.
   - _The new packaging is friendly to marine life and breaks down at sea._
   - _Designers prioritized a user-friendly interface for older customers._
3. Inviting and welcoming in appearance or feel, suggesting friendliness.
   - Simple: Looking or feeling warm and welcoming.
   - _The inn's friendly glow drew travelers in from the cold._
   - _The cafe's soft lights and worn armchairs give it a friendly feel that draws people in._
4. Showing no hostility or wish to harm the other party.
   - Simple: Showing no anger and no wish to fight.
   - _The negotiations remained friendly despite deep disagreements over price._
   - _Relations between the rival firms stayed friendly throughout the merger._
6. Having a warm, pleasant relationship with someone, without necessarily being close friends.
   - Simple: Getting along well with someone in a warm way, even if you are not close friends.
   - _I'm friendly with a few of the other parents, though we're not really close._
   - _Over the years he grew friendly with the family who ran the corner store._
7. Belonging to or associated with one's own side in a conflict or contest, rather than the opposing side.
   - Simple: Belonging to your own side in a war or contest.
   - _The convoy crossed into friendly territory before nightfall._
   - _Several soldiers were wounded by friendly fire in the chaos of the night raid._
8. Favorable to someone's interests; helping things turn out well.
   - Simple: Helping someone, or good for what they want to happen.
   - _A friendly current carried the swimmers back to the beach._
   - _The lawyers filed the case in a court known to be friendly to patent holders, hoping for a quick win._

## Noun

5. A match played for practice or enjoyment rather than as part of a league or competition.
   - Simple: A game played for practice or fun, not as part of a league or competition.
   - _The club arranged a friendly against a touring side to sharpen their fitness._
   - _Coaches often field younger players in a friendly to assess their potential._
10. A person or group on one's own side in a conflict.
   - Simple: A person who is on your own side in a fight or battle.
   - _The patrol confirmed the figure ahead was a friendly before lowering their weapons._
   - _Mistaking a friendly for the enemy can have tragic consequences._

## Adverb

9. In a manner that is warm and kind, as a friend would behave.
   - Simple: In a warm and kind way, like a friend would.

## Other meanings

- (adjective) Describing two or more natural numbers that share the same abundancy index: the ratio of the sum of a number's divisors to the number itself.

## Origin

**Meanings 1–8, 10** — Built from "friend" + "-ly", the word goes back through Middle English frendly to Old English frēondlīċ and, before that, Proto-Germanic *frijōndlīkaz. Dutch vriendelijk and German freundlich are related words from the same source.
**Meaning 9** — Old English frēondlīċe ("in a friendly manner"), made of "friend" + "-ly", came down into Middle English as frendly.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/friendly (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).