1
as in hatred
a deep-seated ill will
a lingering hostility between the two neighbors ever since since they had that property-line dispute
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in conflict
hostilities plural
a state of armed violent struggle between states, nations, or groups
Both sides agreed to cease all hostilities.
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of hostility
Russia appears to be aiming to deny civilians power and weaken public support for the fight, while hostilities continue along the roughly 1,000-kilometer (600-mile) front line snaking along eastern and southern parts of Ukraine.
—
Emma Burrows, Chicago Tribune, 5 Feb. 2026
Russia appears to be aiming to deny civilians power and weaken public support for the fight, while hostilities continue along the roughly 600-mile front line snaking along eastern and southern parts of Ukraine.
—Kamila Hrabchuk, Los Angeles Times, 5 Feb. 2026
After hostilities ended, the combined modern flag emerged in the 1870s as a symbol of how serious the state was about unity.
—Torrey Snow, Baltimore Sun, 4 Feb. 2026
Schmidt said that the city’s police officers have been vilified for their efforts to restore law and order, a hostility notable against the backdrop of left-wing vitriol toward ICE.
—Mia Cathell, The Washington Examiner, 4 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for hostility
Emma Burrows, Chicago Tribune, 5 Feb. 2026
Russia appears to be aiming to deny civilians power and weaken public support for the fight, while hostilities continue along the roughly 600-mile front line snaking along eastern and southern parts of Ukraine.
—Kamila Hrabchuk, Los Angeles Times, 5 Feb. 2026
After hostilities ended, the combined modern flag emerged in the 1870s as a symbol of how serious the state was about unity.
—Torrey Snow, Baltimore Sun, 4 Feb. 2026
Schmidt said that the city’s police officers have been vilified for their efforts to restore law and order, a hostility notable against the backdrop of left-wing vitriol toward ICE.
—Mia Cathell, The Washington Examiner, 4 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for hostility
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hostility
Noun
-
Emily Brontë’s novel is a book that stains — its emotions seep through generations, its hatreds metastasize, its love transforms into something unholy and permanent.—
Ana Gutierrez,
Austin American Statesman,
11 Feb. 2026
-
The Talmud teaches that Jerusalem was destroyed not only because of hatred, but because of sinat chinam, baseless hatred fueled by moral absolutism.—
Rabbi Bruce D. Forman,
Sun Sentinel,
10 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
No artist, agent or employee should ever be expected to defend or overlook actions that conflict so deeply with our own moral values.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Feb. 2026
-
Warren saw that the conflict in the region between the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and the Kosovo Liberation Army left local children with little to do.—
Everett Eaton,
jsonline.com,
10 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
This one-year penance business reeks of score-settling, petty grudges and arm-twisting.—
Steve Buckley,
New York Times,
28 Jan. 2026
-
Some can hold grudges for years.—
Steve Fryer,
Oc Register,
22 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Net migration to the UK reached record levels in 2022, swelled by the war in Ukraine and the post-pandemic lifting of travel restrictions, but has since dropped off sharply.—
Issy Ronald,
CNN Money,
12 Feb. 2026
-
The war has sparked worldwide protests and brought accusations of genocide that Israel denies.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
11 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Tahini’s bitterness balances the intense sweetness of dates, the traditional Ramadan break-the-fast food; stuffing dates with tahini is a Ramadan treat.—
Faye Levy,
Oc Register,
11 Feb. 2026
-
The bitterness is concentrated in the green shoot itself.—
Caitlin Beale,
Health,
11 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Their competitiveness should resemble animosity, and Glenn should draw their ire.—
Marcus Thompson II,
New York Times,
4 Feb. 2026
-
At a moment when there’s really just more animosity than probably in our life, maybe since Benedict Arnold days, between the US and Canada.—
Ben Smith,
semafor.com,
31 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Welch and Sullivan dismiss concerns that their antagonism toward some Democrats is helpful to Trump, arguing that unscripted moments, even the spicier ones, are just what their side needs.—
Rachel Monroe,
Washington Post,
7 Feb. 2026
-
Trump could either amp up the antagonism or claim to have pulled off a brilliant America First deal—though neither approach would, or should, put the Minnesota mess behind him completely.—
Chris Smith,
Vanity Fair,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Winslow’s notable public enmity toward the current president, whose name will not cross his lips today, has been evident ever since the two-time destroyer of worlds first sought power.—
Fred Schruers,
Rolling Stone,
26 Jan. 2026
-
Indeed, their body language and working relationship belies nothing of the boorish, antagonistic dynamic between Governor Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio, whose enmity risked lives (as when Cuomo held up a mass Covid vaccine site in New York due to his beef with de Blasio).—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
15 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hostility.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hostility. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
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