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

Our goal is to improve the effectiveness of weapons such as the Autocannon, Heavy Machine Gun, Flamethrower, and Anti-Materiel Rifle against heavily armored enemies. —Paul Tassi, Forbes, 18 Sep. 2024

Advertisement Democrats in the past have pointed to Trump’s long history of inflammatory campaign rhetoric and advocacy for jailing or prosecuting his political enemies. —Steve Peoples, Los Angeles Times, 18 Sep. 2024

Hezbollah, long Israel's enemy, has repeatedly fired missiles at Israeli territory since Hamas' Oct. 7 attacks, causing many residents to flee south. —Kim Hjelmgaard, USA TODAY, 17 Sep. 2024

In the comedy, two sisters-in-law who are struggling to get along, finally bond together when they are faced with a common enemy: a new third sister-in-law. —Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 16 Sep. 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"