EN

Synonyms for enmity

  • noun

Most common

hostility antagonism animosity ill-will

All synonyms

Noun

1. Hostility — A state or feeling of opposition, hostility, hatred or animosity

hostility, antagonism, animosity, ill-will, antipathy, hatred, rancor US, rancour UK, discord, grudge, malice, acrimony, feud, war, animus, bitterness, malignity, hate, malevolence, repugnance, aversion, spite, clashing

Other

enemyhood, enemyness, enemyship, fiendship, foeship dated

Antonyms

friendship, amity, goodwill

All antonyms of enmity →

Definitions

  1. n. 1

    A state or feeling of opposition, hostility, hatred or animosity.

Forms

Plural
enmities → hostilities, antagonisms, animosities, antipathies…

Choose the right word

Enmity or Animosity?

Enmity is the state of being an enemy or the feeling and disposition characterizing an enemy (compare ENEMY). Animosity denotes a feeling more active and vehement, but often less enduring and determined, than enmity.

J. C. Fernald, English Synonyms and Antonyms (1914)

Example sentences

  • hostility Hostility destroys things. Good will builds things.
  • animosity Then that animosity is being passed on down to us?
  • antagonism Their ancient antagonism was rekindled.

Popularity over time

Word1850 → 2019Trend
enmitysteady
hostilitysteady
animosityrising
antagonismsteady

Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.

By length

3 letters
war1
4 letters
hate1, feud1
5 letters
spite1
6 letters
hatred2, grudge1, malice2, animus3, rancor2
7 letters
discord2, rancour, foeship
8 letters
aversion3, clashing2, acrimony4
9 letters
hostility4, animosity5, antipathy4, malignity, enemyhood, enemyness, enemyship, fiendship
10 letters
bitterness3, antagonism5, repugnance
11 letters
malevolence

The small number after each word is its number of syllables (hatred2 = 2 syllables).

In other languages

Français
inimitié
Italiano
inimicizia
Español
enemistad
Deutsch
Feindschaft