hostileadj.n.
/ˈhɒstʌɪl/, U.S. /ˈhɑstl/, /ˈhɑˌstaɪl/ A. adj.
1.
a. Of, pertaining to, or characteristic of an enemy; pertaining to or engaged in actual hostilities.
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > [adjective]
hostile1597
society > armed hostility > warriors collectively > [adjective] > hostile
enemya1425
hostile1597
1597 W. Shakespeare Richard III iv. iv. 223 My dangerous attempt of hostile armes. View more context for this quotation
1598 W. Shakespeare Henry IV, Pt. 1 i. i. 9 Nor bruise her flourets with the armed hoofes Of hostile paces. View more context for this quotation
1656 B. Harris tr. J. N. de Parival Hist. Iron Age ii. ii. iv. 240 The King of Denmark who entred Germany in an hostil manner.
1698 J. Fryer New Acct. E.-India & Persia 337 By these Bars..the Hostile Arms of the Turks have been put to a stop.
1725 W. Broome in A. Pope et al. tr. Homer Odyssey III. xi. 656 Thus great in glory from the din of war Safe he return'd, without one hostile scar.
1810 Duke of Wellington Dispatches (1836) VI. 110 The operations of hostile armies.
1847 R. W. Emerson Napoleon in Wks. (1906) I. 371 On a hostile position [he] rained a torrent of iron.
b. Of the nature or disposition of an enemy; unfriendly.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > hatred > enemy > [adjective]
foeish1566
hostile1782
1782 J. Priestley Hist. Corruptions Christianity I. Pref. 4 They all came in from a foreign and hostile quarter.
1821 J. Baillie Lady G. Baillie in Metrical Legends li The dame held fast the hostile door.
1840 F. D. Bennett Narr. Whaling Voy. II. 88 A second hostile rajah..was for some time kept as a state-prisoner.
1876 E. A. Freeman Hist. Norman Conquest V. xxiv. 392 Men of different and hostile races.
2. transferred and figurative.
a. Unfriendly in feeling, action, nature, or character; contrary, adverse, antagonistic.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > hatred > hostility > [adjective]
witherwardc888
unholdc900
fremda1000
foeOE
hatelyOE
onwardOE
fiendlyc1050
witherc1175
unbaina1300
quedec1300
wrong1340
aliena1382
enemiablea1382
enemyfula1382
enemyc1384
ingrate1393
unfriendly1425
undisposed1456
oppugnanta1513
infest1513
enemious?1529
cold1557
enemylike1561
enemyly1573
ingratefulc1575
opposed1584
misliking1586
infestuous1593
infensive1596
infestious1597
affrontous1598
foe-hearted1598
ill-affecteda1599
inimicous1598
friendless?1611
haggardly1635
infensea1641
inimicitious1641
inimicitial1656
inimical1678
inamicable1683
indisposed1702
uneasy1725
hostile1791
adversarial1839
chilly1841
1791 J. Boswell Life Johnson anno 1748 I. 101 The natives of North-Britain, to whom he is supposed to have been so hostile.
1800 Med. & Physical Jrnl. 4 114 The principal of putrefaction, or azote, the element hostile to life.
1849 T. B. Macaulay Hist. Eng. I. ii. 231 A long succession of princes, hostile to the established faith, might sit on the English throne.
a1862 H. T. Buckle Hist. Civilisation Eng. (1873) III. v. 413 It is possible for two hostile principles to flourish side by side, without ever coming into collision.
b. to go hostile: to become angry. Australian and New Zealand colloquial.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > anger > [verb (intransitive)] > become angry
wrethec900
wrothc975
abelghec1300
to move one's blood (also mood)c1330
to peck moodc1330
gremec1460
to take firea1513
fumec1522
sourdc1540
spitec1560
to set up the heckle1601
fire1604
exasperate1659
to fire up1779
to flash up1822
to get one's dander up1831
to fly (occasionally jump, etc.) off (at) the handle1832
to have (also get) one's monkey up1833
to cut up rough, rusty, savage1837
rile1837
to go off the handle1839
to flare up1840
to set one's back up1845
to run hot1855
to wax up1859
to get one's rag out1862
blow1871
to get (also have) the pricker1871
to turn up rough1872
to get the needle1874
to blaze up1878
to get wet1898
spunk1898
to see red1901
to go crook1911
to get ignorant1913
to hit the ceiling1914
to hit the roof1921
to blow one's top1928
to lose one's rag1928
to lose one's haira1930
to go up in smoke1933
hackle1935
to have, get a cob on1937
to pop (also blow) one's cork1938
to go hostile1941
to go sparec1942
to do one's bun1944
to lose one's wool1944
to blow one's stack1947
to go (also do) one's (also a) dingerc1950
rear1953
to get on ignorant1956
to go through the roof1958
to keep (also blow, lose) one's cool1964
to lose ita1969
to blow a gasket1975
to throw a wobbler1985
1941 W. D. Haydon N.Z. Soldiers 17 Wouldn't he go hostile if he knew who pinched his bacon.
1945 S. J. Baker Austral. Lang. xv. 23 To go hostile means to become angry.
B. n.
A hostile person; spec. (U.S.) a North American Indian unfriendly to white people.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > hatred > enemy > [noun]
witherwinc897
foemaneOE
i-foeOE
withersakec960
fiendc975
foeOE
witherlingc1000
unwine1050
unholda1200
andsetec1200
unfriendc1275
un-i-winec1275
adversaryc1350
enemy1362
hatera1382
evil-willinga1400
fedea1400
contraryc1405
inimi1423
overthwarter?c1450
evil-willer1460
Moabitea1461
heavy friend?1518
Satanas1530
adverse1593
malengine1601
distresser1616
viand1616
hostile1838
unfriendly1973
1838 N.-Y. Mirror 27 Jan. 245/3 Yesterday five Delaware chiefs, who had gone from the main army to the stronghold of the hostiles, reappeared with four Indians.
1860 J. R. Bartlett Dict. Americanisms (ed. 3) Hostiles, enemies. Western.
1880 Libr. Universal Knowl. X. 431 They were formerly hostiles, but..at present peaceable and industrious.
1885 Milnor (Dakota Territory) Teller 24 Apr. 5/3 Saturday a scouting-party..captured three hostiles.
1890 Pall Mall Gaz. 18 Dec. 5/2 A courier has just arrived, and reports..that the hostiles are fighting with the friendly Indians on the Grand River.
1963 Guardian 8 Sept. 6/6 There were rumours that Naga hostiles were getting help from China.
1966 A. Firth Tall, Balding, Thirty-five iv. 48 It is most unlikely that a hostile could select such a person as yourself to assist them.
1969 Hindu 3 Aug. 1/5 A strong contingent of security forces has been rushed to..Ukhrul..to intercept over 400 China-trained Naga hostiles.
Compounds
hostile ice n. (see quot. 1966).
ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > water > ice > body of ice > [noun] > with no holes for submarine
hostile ice1964
1964 Polar Record XII. 197 Hostile ice.
1966 T. Armstrong et al. Illustr. Gloss. Snow & Ice 19 Hostile ice, from the point of view of the submariner, an ice canopy containing no large ice skylights or other features which permit a submarine to surface.
hostile ord n. Naval slang an ordinary seaman who joins the Navy in wartime for the period of hostilities only.
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > hostilities at sea > seafaring warrior or naval man > [noun] > ordinary seaman
common sailor1698
ordinary seaman1702
OS1802
ranker1890
O.D.1916
hostile ord1919
erk1925
white hat1952
rate1977
1919 W. Lang Sea-lawyer's Log iii. 37 To the active service man the ‘hostile ord’, as the temporary seaman is called, is a mere interloper, one who has joined the Navy to ‘dodge Kitchener’, as they put it, and they do not hesitate to tell him so.
Derivatives
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > [verb (intransitive)]
to do with ——1608
to hostile it1656
the mind > emotion > hatred > hostility > be hostile [verb]
to hostile it1656
1656 S. Hunton Golden Law 8 Why may not Clients clearly injured by their Lawyer, or their Adversary, hostile it, and gather an Army?
1656 S. Hunton Golden Law 96 Had you just cause to invade and hostile it against us.
Draft additions 1993
Commerce. Of a takeover (bid), etc.: liable to be opposed by the management of the target company, unwelcome.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > business affairs > a business or company > [adjective] > types of takeover (bid)
friendly1900
shut-out1969
hostile1972
Pac-Man1982
1972 Financial Executive Apr. 20/1 Hostile tenders and exchange offers are no longer as simple as they once were.
1987 Sunday Times 29 Nov. 70/3 He rolled out a hostile cash-and-convertible package worth £224m for Electronic Rentals three weeks ago.
1990 Business Apr. 81/2 Adia..launched a hostile bid for Hestair... When Hestair found a white knight, BET, Adia refused to enter a bidding war.
Draft additions September 2014
hostile takeover n. (a) a takeover which is opposed by the company to be bought (cf. Additions); frequently attributive, esp. in hostile takeover bid; (b) (in extended use) any assumption of control which is undertaken by stealth, or is strongly opposed or rejected by those it affects.
ΚΠ
1974 Wall St. Jrnl. 21 Oct. 1/6 Top executives..are drafting contingency plans..in anticipation of hostile take-over attempts.
1989 T. Clancy Clear & Present Danger xxvii. 581 He had no illusions about leading a revolution. He was merely executing—what was it called? A hostile takeover.
1990 Forbes 19 Feb. 10/3 Faley was severely squeezed after he won his $1.7 billion hostile takeover bid for West Point-Pepperell.
2002 Village Voice (N.Y.) 12 Feb. 8/1 The colonization and hostile takeover of schools..will ultimately displace..minority students.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1899; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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adj.n.1597