hostile
Very unfriendly and ready to argue or fight.
hostile in a sentence
- The hostile crowd booed and shook their fists at the referee.
- The two robins were hostile to any bird that dared to land near their feeder.
Try an 11+ style question
Verbal reasoning papers often ask about a word like this.
Which word is closest in meaning to hostile?
- Akind
- Bunfriendly
- Cwelcoming
- Dwarm
Show the answer
B: unfriendly. The other three mean the opposite of hostile.
Which word is most nearly opposite in meaning to hostile?
- Aunfriendly
- Bangry
- Caggressive
- Dwarm
Show the answer
D: warm. The other three mean nearly the same as hostile.
Words that mean something similar
unfriendly, angry, aggressive
Words that mean the opposite
warm, kind, welcoming
Careful: hostile is not belligerent
Hostile means unfriendly and ready to fight. Belligerent means eager to fight, and going looking for it. Read why children mix them up.
More words about behaviour & manners
- hygienic: Clean and free from germs that could spread illness.
- idle: Not busy or not in use, or not wanting to work.
- imitate: To copy the way someone speaks or acts.
- impertinent: Rude and not showing respect.
- impostor: Someone who pretends to be another person to trick people.
- impudent: Rude and cheeky, showing no respect.
- indulge: To let yourself or someone else enjoy a treat.
- innocuous: Harmless, and not likely to upset or hurt anyone.
More words to explore
Sitting the 11+ in Kent, Medway or Buckinghamshire?
Plain-English guides to each test, from the councils’ own pages: Kent Test · Medway Test · Bucks Secondary Transfer Test