Hostility Meaning
/hɒˈstɪlɪti/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounThe state of being hostile.
nounA hostile action, especially a military action. See hostilities for specific plural definition.
Sentence Examples
I have no personal hostility to the system.
Hostility was replaced by love.
There was a barely veiled hostility in her tone.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
None
CEFR Practice Quiz
The constant ____ between the rival gangs finally erupted into a brawl.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
There was a great deal of ____ between the two rival teams during the championship game.
Word Origin & History
From Middle English hostilitie, hostilite, from Old French hostilité, from Latin hostīlitās. By surface analysis, hostile + -ity.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"There is no hostilitie so excellent, as that which is absolutely Christian."
— 1603, Michel de Montaigne, chapter 12, in John Florio, transl., The Essayes […], book II, London: […] Val[entine] Simmes for Edward Blount […], →OCLC:
"But with Goodison Park openly directing its full hostility towards Atkinson, Liverpool went ahead when Carroll turned in his first Premier League goal of the season after 70 minutes."
— 2011 October 1, Phil McNulty, “Everton 0-2 Liverpool”, in BBC Sport, archived from the original on 03 Apr 2017:
"The polarization of wealth and the polarization of attitudes to diversity are not unrelated. A key reason for popular hostility to immigrants is that to many people, particularly within working-class communities, immigration has become a symbol of unacceptable change."
— 2013 September 28, Kenan Malik, “London Is Special, but Not That Special”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 10 Oct 2021, retrieved 28 Sep 2013:
"As the revivals died down in the 1740s, the revivalist camp made concessions to their opponents, admonished prorevivalists who continued with the hostilities, and generally sought to heal divisions."
— 2006, Michael P. Young, Bearing Witness Against Sin:
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The constant ____ between the rival gangs finally erupted into a brawl.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
There was a great deal of ____ between the two rival teams during the championship game.