From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishhostilehos‧tile /ˈhɒstaɪl $ ˈhɑːstl, ˈhɑːstaɪl/ ●○○ adjective 1 UNFRIENDLYangry and deliberately unfriendly towards someone, and ready to argue with them Southampton fans gave their former coach a hostile reception. Carr wouldn’t meet Feng’s stare, which was openly hostile. his hostile attitudehostile to/towards The boy feels hostile towards his father.► see thesaurus at unfriendly2 AGAINST/OPPOSEopposing a plan or idea very stronglyhostile to/towards Senator Lydon was hostile to our proposals.3 ENEMYbelonging to an enemy hostile territory4 SERIOUS SITUATIONused to describe conditions that are difficult to live in, or that make it difficult to achieve somethinghostile environment/climate/terrain etc a guide to surviving in even the most hostile terrain Sales increased last year despite the hostile economic environment.5 → hostile takeover/bid
Examples from the Corpus
hostile• It will be physical, confrontational and, quite likely, hostile.• A hostile audience refused to listen to Senator Drummond's reply.• There was a crowd of hostile demonstrators waiting outside her door.• These conditions embraced the realities of survival in an often hostile environment, and the mysteries of birth and death.• The Antarctic survey team will be using vehicles specially designed to cope with the hostile environment.• Hostile forces have taken control of cities in the north of the country.• In this hostile ideological jungle, little clearings of socialist culture had to be created painfully.• Managers who did encounter hostile, judgmental, or disinterested reactions from their bosses rarely initiated such interactions again.• Life can evolve representations of itself capable of thriving in environments that seem hostile now.• Like divorce, it is painful and sometimes very costly to buy out a hostile partner.• Only from the windows of a derelict tower block squatted by women was there any deliberately hostile response.• Lydon was openly hostile to any kind of criticism of the project.• Several of the neighbors had become openly hostile to one another.• He was hostile towards me when I arrived, and the situation did not improve over the next few days.• Local people are hostile towards the plan, which would involve a significant tax increase.• The ships had travelled thousands of miles through hostile waters to converge in the Atlantic.• They were two women together now in a hostile world.hostile reception• April 1983 Generally speaking, however, family planning has met with a hostile reception.• But when a camera crew arrived at the rectory, they got a hostile reception.• He didn't seem in the least put-out by the hostile reception.• The hostile reception of Alford's views led him to reflect that he was being denied the parliamentary right of free speech.• They had not been prepared for the fierce extremes of climate, or for the hostile reception of the natives.• The two men were confused by the hostile reception the mob gave them, and they had reason to be.hostile to/towards• However, Bliss was hostile to complete analysis, preferring to opt for a more detailed enumeration of subjects.• Many of the animals are hostile to humans: for example, poisonous snakes and fierce mountain cats.• Why should you be hostile to me?• Ten months earlier, in the same committee room, unions hostile to Taylor had fired their opening salvos.• Parts of the labour movement, however, remained or became hostile to the war.• I am not quite so hostile to them as other hon. Members are.• It seemed to me he was not so much indifferent as hostile towards these poor men.• I have not found the media to be hostile to us, provided we talk to them.hostile environment/climate/terrain etc• Biomorphs should interact, in the computer, with a simulation of a hostile environment.• I would say that Courtaulds is reasonably healthy in an extremely hostile environment.• Objectionable pictures have been deemed to contribute to a hostile environment.• Private practice is burdened by bureaucratic demands in a hostile climate.• They are used to dealing with harsh conditions in a hostile environment.• They died for their quest for comfort in a hostile environment.• These conditions embraced the realities of survival in an often hostile environment, and the mysteries of birth and death.• Once again, you navigate dark passageways and hostile environments, killing everything that moves.From Longman Business Dictionaryhostilehos‧tile /ˈhɒstaɪlˈhɑːstl, ˈhɑːstaɪl/ adjectiveFINANCE a hostile BID or TAKEOVER is one in which a company tries to buy another company whose SHAREHOLDERs do not want to sellThey’ve managed to fight off a hostile takeover bid.Origin hostile (1500-1600) French Latin hostilis, from hostis “stranger, enemy” 