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 second movie will pick up after the events of Part One, where Elphaba and Glinda uncover the Wizard's fraud and Elphaba is declared the new enemy of Oz. —Monica Mercuri, Forbes, 31 Dec. 2024

On December 27, WHO announced the results from 430 samples: The outbreak was caused by a familiar enemy — or, more accurately, multiple familiar enemies. —Gabrielle Emanuel, NPR, 31 Dec. 2024

After faking his own death in the finale (via radio) and shooting Gi-hun’s best friend in front of him, In-ho resumes his post within the games and his position as Gi-hun’s greatest enemy. —Brian Welk, IndieWire, 31 Dec. 2024

Clocks get punched as much as enemies of the state. —David Fear, Rolling Stone, 30 Dec. 2024

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"