enmity
EN-mih-tee
/ˈen.mə.ti/
the state or feeling of being actively opposed or hostile to someone or something.
Enmity is the most formal word in this group. It describes a condition of being enemies, often used in historical, religious, or epic contexts.
The story behind the word. Enmity comes from the Old French 'enemistie', which grew out of the Latin 'inimicus'. The 'in-' means 'not' and 'amicus' means 'friend'. It is literally the state of being 'not-friends'.
Word relationships
- hostility: Hostility is more common and less formal than enmity.
- antagonism: Antagonism is the active struggle, while enmity is the state of being an enemy.
- friendship: Friendship is the basic state of mutual affection.
- alliance: Alliance is a formal agreement to work together.
Commonly confused with
- amity: Amity is the exact opposite of enmity; it means peaceful relations.
Collocations
- bitter enmity
- long-standing enmity
- personal enmity
Example sentences
- "And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed." A classic religious text.
- "The decades of enmity between the two nations finally began to thaw after the summit." Describing international relations.
Memory hook
Enmity sounds like 'enemy-ty'. It is the quality of being an enemy. Enmity = Enemy-state.
When not to use
Too heavy for a minor office spat; use 'friction' or 'disagreement' instead.
Fun facts
- The word 'inimical' (harmful or hostile) is a close cousin to enmity.
Related words
Explore more words
antagonism, antipathy, rancorous, feud, antagonist, spiteful
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