friendly
/ˈfrɛn(d)li
/adjective (friendlier, friendliest)
1Kind and pleasant: they were friendly to me she gave me a friendly smile...
- Does it matter if we smile and are friendly to him?
- They do not only live in harmony but are equally friendly to visitors.
- Eddie was held in high esteem by the farming community and his pleasant friendly smile endeared him to all.
Synonyms
affectionate, affable, amiable, genial, congenial, cordial, warm, demonstrative, convivial, companionable, company-loving, sociable, gregarious, outgoing, clubbable, comradely, neighbourly, hospitable, approachable, easy to get along with, accessible, communicative, open, unreserved, easy-going, good-natured, kindly, benign, amenable, agreeable, obliging, sympathetic, well disposed, benevolent;
Scottish couthy
informal chummy, pally, clubby
British informal matey, decent
North American informal buddy-buddy
rare conversable
amicable, congenial, cordial, pleasant, good-natured, easy, casual, informal, unceremonious, comradely, confidential, close, intimate, familiar;
peaceable, peaceful, conciliatory, harmonious, non-hostile
1.1 [predicative] (Of a person) on good or affectionate terms: I was friendly with one of the local farmers...
- We are friendly with our neighbours, with people at work, and with the kids and parents at our son's school.
- And you have to have all of your own supplies, because unless you're friendly with the neighbors, there is no one around to borrow from.
- Sam has chosen people that he is friendly with and that he can talk to.
1.2(Of relations) not in conflict: we want friendly relations with all countries...
- Chimps and bonobos appear to place value on maintaining good relations, renewing friendly contact after a fight.
- In many social mammals, the desire for friendly relations comes into conflict with the need to compete for resources, including mates.
- Stewart and Campbell were men of status, who knew each other well, and for a time enjoyed friendly relations in spite of their clan and political differences.
1.3Not seriously competitive or divisive: friendly rivalry between the two schools...
- He summed up the season as being competitive yet friendly and with the trio applying to join next year it was evident that the league continued to grow.
- ‘It's a competition that pitches towns right around the island into friendly rivalry,’ the Minister said.
- This is a competition that creates friendly rivalry among the participants and the judging is anticipated with great enthusiasm.
1.4British (Of a game or match) not forming part of a serious competition.Bradford came to Oxford for a friendly game of water polo on Saturday....
- Botswana yesterday marked 38 years of independence with a win over Zambia in an international friendly soccer match played in Gaborone.
- Chulumanda said he has directed the director of sports to organise international friendly games following the aborted trip to China.
2 [in combination] Denoting something that is adapted for or is not harmful to a specified thing: an environment-friendly agronomic practice child-friendly policies
3Favourable or serviceable: no one noticed her as she slipped out—it was a friendly night...
- When they woke after midday, they would eat and talk quietly together, waiting for the friendly cover of night to fall before moving on.
- The idea sprang from the cost to convert the simulators to friendly lighting for night vision goggles.
- The society intends to connect the three activities of production, marketing and service to promote environmentally friendly ways.
Synonyms
favourable, advantageous, beneficial, benevolent, helpful, well disposed, good;
lucky, providential
4 Military (Of troops or equipment) of, belonging to, or allied with one’s own forces: the risk of blowing up friendly forces is minimized...
- Its initial purpose was to prevent Allied aircraft bombing friendly ground forces.
- When a mechanized force enters an area with friendly infantry, both light and mechanized soldiers get a little apprehensive.
- In the case of air defense or offensive military equipment, waiting until friendly forces are engaged is too late to confirm disablement.
noun (plural friendlies) British
A game or match that does not form part of a serious competition: England will play two friendlies in Sardinia...
- Firstly, let them get the real feeling and the spirit of the game by playing friendlies.
- We were not allowed to play any pre-season friendlies so we have started well under very difficult circumstances.
- They are bound to have different takes on the action but they were in unison when admitting that it was one of their best friendlies of the pre-season.
Derivatives
friendlily
- Aaron was jogging towards them, smiling friendlily, totally ignoring Gio's instant glares.
- Instead of screaming him, which he probably expected me to do, I calmly and friendlily gave him a small smile.
- Dave finishes, friendlily clapping Will on the shoulder.