enmity

Definitions  ·  Examples  ·  Pronunciations  ·  Etymologies  ·  Related  ·  Statistics  ·  Comments (1)  · 
“
The focus of their enmity was their home country of China, which has a long and despicable history of oppressing Uighurs -- though that does not justify the terrorism some militants have embraced.

View all »
Definitions (7)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (2)

  1. noun Deep-seated, often mutual hatred.
  2. Syntax Note
    Synonyms: enmity, hostility, antagonism, animosity, rancor, antipathy, animus
    These nouns refer to the feeling or expression of deep-seated ill will. Enmity is hatred such as might be felt for an enemy: the wartime enmity of the two nations.
    Hostility implies the clear expression of enmity: "If we could read the secret history of our enemies, we should find . . . enough to disarm all hostility” (Henry Wadsworth Longfellow).
    Antagonism is hostility that quickly results in active resistance, opposition, or contentiousness: "the early struggles of famous authors, the notorious antagonism of publishers and editors to any new writer of exceptional promise” (Edith Wharton).
    Animosity often triggers bitter resentment or punitive action: overcame her animosity toward her parents.
    Rancor suggests vengeful hatred and resentment: filled with rancor after losing his job.
    Antipathy is deep-seated aversion or repugnance: an antipathy to social pretension.
    Animus is distinctively personal, often based on one's prejudices or temperament: an inexplicable animus against intellectuals.

Toggle Century definitions Century Dictionary (2)

Toggle GNU Webster definitions GNU Webster's 1913 (1)

Toggle WordNet definitions WordNet (2)

Toggle elsewhere links Elsewhere on the web

View all »
Examples (50)

  • I have sought neither his friendship nor his enmity, but he has seen fit to regard me as an enemy. —  Frank Merriwell's Races
  • There was no enmity, and no fear between them when the throats of their ponderous guns yawned at one another across the waves. —  Edison's Conquest of Mars
  • But, believe me, I personally feel towards you no enmity--only the profoundest compassion Inarticulate sound from the professor I find in you,' continued the theologian with benevolence, 'much to tolerate, much even to admire. —  'That Very Mab'
  • Our violence has much abated since this conflict; but her enmity is undiminished, for she continues to show her spite against me in every manner she can devise Zeenab continued to entertain me in this manner until the first dawn of the morning, and when we heard the muezzin_[43] call the morning prayers from the mosque, we thought it prudent to retire; but not until we had made mutual promises of seeing each other as often as prudence would allow. —  The Adventures of Hajji Baba of Ispahan
  • "I had seen those two work before--in the smoking-room the day prior to their attack on you, if I recollect it correctly, and so, knowing their methods, I am convinced that their enmity is a sufficient guarantee of the integrity of its object. —  Return of Tarzan
More examples »
 

Tags

enmity hasn't been tagged yet.

Sign up or sign in to add tags.

Stats

This word has been looked up 165 times.

stop updating
On Twitter

Photos from

flickr images

Add a related word »
Related

Roget's II Roget's II: The New Thesaurus

Allen's Allen's Synonyms and Antonyms

Used in the same context Used in the Same Context

animosity ·  antipathy ·  hostility ·  feud ·  hatred ·  hate ·  rivalry ·  malice ·  mistrust ·  discontent ·  discord ·  repugnance

Used in the same contextWord Family

enmity:   enmities
Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition by the Editors of the American Heritage® Dictionary. Copyright © 2003, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Etymologies (2)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (1)

  1. Middle English enemite, from Old French enemistie, from Vulgar Latin *inimīcitās, from Latin inimīcus, enemy; see enemy.

Toggle Century etymologies Century Dictionary (1)

  1. Early modern English also enmitie, enimitie; from Middle English enmyte, enemyte, enemytee, from Old French enemite, ennemite, usually enemistie, older enamistiet, modern restored inimitié = Provencal enemistat = Spanish enemistad = Portuguese inimizade = Italian nemistà, nemistade, nemistate, from Middle Latin as if *inimicita(t-)s for L. inimicitia, enmity, from Latin inimicus, an enemy, later Old French enemi, later English enemy: see enemy. Cf. amity, the same word as enmity, without the negative.
 

Pronunciations
Record your own »
/ˈɛnməti/
by American Heritage

Charts
frequency chart

Bubble size: how much this word was used in a year

Bubble height: used more or less than expected, vs. all uses evenly distributed

You can expect to see this word about once a week.

Recently looked up

MOYERS · lizard · faintness · intolerant · expedited

Recent Favorites

pygopagus · sanglant · Astacus · sweetbread · qualms

Recent Pronunciations

eu oi oìa u ou e u oìa · the octopi are dry · Kansas City · spell it rite · put it in your pocket