hostile

Pluralhostiles

1. 1
   adjective

   Unfriendly in the manner of an enemy; showing ill will, malevolence, or a desire to thwart and injure.

   The senator faced hostile questions from reporters at the press conference.

   Relations between the two countries remained hostile for decades after the war.

   Similarunfriendly, inimical

   Oppositefriendly, amicable, cordial, warm

   Note

   The core sense, and the one closest to its Latin source: hostīlis, from hostis, "enemy," reached English through Middle French and displaced Old English fēondlīċ. It keeps that enemy's edge in a hostile force or a hostile country, but it also takes a "to" phrase for what someone resists: hostile to a sudden change. Inimical is the bookish near-synonym. Unfriendly is milder and lacks the sense of a declared opponent.

2. 2
   adjective

   Aggressive and antagonistic, marked by a readiness to attack or confront.

   The crowd turned hostile, throwing bottles and pushing toward the stage.

   The witness grew hostile under cross-examination, snapping at the prosecutor.

   Similaraggressive, belligerent, antagonistic, combative, confrontational

   Oppositefriendly, peaceful, conciliatory

3. 3
   adjective

   Relating to an attempt to take over a company against the wishes of its management or board.

   The board rejected the hostile bid, calling the offer far too low.

   After the hostile takeover, the new owners replaced the entire executive team.

   Oppositefriendly

   Note

   Corporate finance turned the adjective into a term of art. A hostile bid or takeover is one pursued without the target board's consent. Because it classifies the deal rather than describing a mood, it is not compared, so nobody says "a more hostile takeover." It can even stand alone after a verb: a report that Microsoft might "go hostile" in its bid for Yahoo! meant it might take its offer straight to shareholders.

4. 4
   nouncountableplural

   An enemy.

   The pilot reported a hostile on radar, closing fast from the north.

   Ground teams confirmed that the approaching vehicles belonged to hostiles, not refugees.

   Similarenemy, foe

   Oppositeally, friendly

   Note

   The adjective made into a noun, and one heard mostly in the plural: hostiles. It belongs to accounts of combat, such as Drachinifel's 2021 narration of the Guadalcanal campaign. The noun brings the word back to what Latin hostis, the root behind the "unfriendly" adjective, already meant: an enemy, plainly named.

5. 5
   adjective

   Unwilling to do or accept something.

   The board remained hostile to any plan that would raise costs.

   Voters proved hostile to the proposed tax increase.

   Similaropposed, averse, resistant, unsympathetic, antagonistic

   Oppositereceptive, sympathetic, favorable, amenable

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