frenemy
noun
fren·e·my
ˈfre-nə-mē 
plural frenemies
informal
: a person who is or pretends to be a friend but who is also in some ways an enemy or rival
In Hollywood, everyone has lots of frenemies, usually people who are doing comparatively well at any given moment.—
Pete Clark
Pete ClarkIn an awkward awards ceremony, Phil [Mickelson] and Tiger [Woods] stood on the 18th green together as frenemies. Phil held up the crystal trophy for the tournament title, while Tiger squirreled away a $10 million bonus for winning the FedEx Cup …—Selena Roberts
Selena RobertsExamples of frenemy in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
And Lobo is the ultimate frenemy.
—
Angelique Jackson,
Variety,
27 June 2026
Our erstwhile school bully has to learn a bit of empathy, while Justin gets to teach man’s best frenemy how to be a better person.
—
Skyler Trepel,
Entertainment Weekly,
20 June 2026
Amanda Peet, who plays Sam’s frenemy (and Hamm’s ex-wife) Mel Cooper, could not recall having died on screen.
—
Tony Maglio,
HollywoodReporter,
5 June 2026
Pratt boasts support from former co-stars Kristin Cavallari and Brody Jenner, but, notably, not from his old reality-show frenemy Conrad.
—
Jay Stahl,
USA Today,
3 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for frenemy
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Angelique Jackson,
Variety,
27 June 2026
Our erstwhile school bully has to learn a bit of empathy, while Justin gets to teach man’s best frenemy how to be a better person.
—
Skyler Trepel,
Entertainment Weekly,
20 June 2026
Amanda Peet, who plays Sam’s frenemy (and Hamm’s ex-wife) Mel Cooper, could not recall having died on screen.
—
Tony Maglio,
HollywoodReporter,
5 June 2026
Pratt boasts support from former co-stars Kristin Cavallari and Brody Jenner, but, notably, not from his old reality-show frenemy Conrad.
—
Jay Stahl,
USA Today,
3 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for frenemy
Cite this Entry
“Frenemy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/frenemy. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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