Hostility
Pronunciation
- UK IPA: /hɒˈstɪlᵻti/
Origin
From Middle French hostilité, from Late Latin hostilitas.
Full definition of hostility
Noun
hostility
(countable and uncountable; plural hostilitys)- (uncountable) The state of being hostile.
- 1603, John Florio, translating Michel de Montaigne, Essays, II.12:There is no hostilitie so excellent, as that which is absolutely Christian.
- 2011, October 1, Phil McNulty, Everton 0 - 2 Liverpool, 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.
- 2013 September 28, Kenan Malik, "London Is Special, but Not That Special," New York Times (retrieved 28 September 2013)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.
- (countable) A hostile action, especially a military action. See hostilities for specific plural definition.