enemy

noun

en·​e·​my ˈe-nə-mē 

plural enemies

1

: one that is antagonistic to another

especially : one seeking to injure, overthrow, or confound an opponent

2

: something harmful or deadly

alcohol was his greatest enemy

3

a

: a military adversary

b

: a hostile unit or force

Synonyms

• adversary
• antagonist
• foe
• hostile
• opponent

Examples of enemy in a Sentence

He made a lot of enemies during the course of his career.

Tradition is the enemy of progress.

Recent Examples on the Web

The system is often the enemy in Eastwood’s movies. —A.a. Dowd, Vulture, 13 Jan. 2025

Historically the enemies of Christian America were secular humanists, feminists and then more recently Democrats and the woke. —John Blake, CNN, 12 Jan. 2025

Embers are the enemy While a wall of flame advancing on a house is a clear danger, embers are a common cause of ignition, especially in the face of a wildfire ember storm. —Elizabeth Weise, USA TODAY, 11 Jan. 2025

Some stars task Mario with collecting 100 coins which are accrued by exploring the world, hitting coin boxes, and defeating enemies. —Patricia Hernandez, Rolling Stone, 10 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English enmy, enemi, borrowed from Anglo-French enemi, going back to Latin inimīcus, noun derivative of inimīcus, adjective, "of an opponent, unfriendly, hostile," from in- in- entry 1 + amīcus "friendly, well-disposed, loving" — more at amiable

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing enemy

• behind enemy lines
• enemy territory
• mortal enemy
• public enemy number one

Kids Definition

enemy

noun

en·​e·​my ˈen-ə-mē 

plural enemies

1

: one that tries to hurt or overthrow or that seeks the failure of another

2

: something that harms

3

a

: a nation with which a country is at war

b

: a military force or a person belonging to such a nation

Etymology

Middle English enemi "enemy," from early French enemi (same meaning), from Latin inimicus (same meaning), from in- "not" and amicus "friend"