inhospitable

adjective

in·​hos·​pi·​ta·​ble ˌin-(ˌ)hä-ˈspi-tə-bəl  (ˌ)in-ˈhä-(ˌ)spi- 

1

: not showing hospitality : not friendly or receptive

2

: providing no shelter or sustenance

an inhospitable environment

inhospitableness noun

inhospitably

ˌin-(ˌ)hä-ˈspi-tə-blē 

(ˌ)in-ˈhä-(ˌ)spi-

adverb

Synonyms

• adversarial
• adversary
• antagonistic
• antipathetic
• hostile
• inimical
• jaundiced
• mortal
• negative
• unfriendly
• unsympathetic

Examples of inhospitable in a Sentence

It's very inhospitable of him to be so rude to strangers.

the proposal received an unexpectedly inhospitable response from the city council

Recent Examples on the Web

Experts have long believed the remote lake to be completely frozen and inhospitable to life, but new evidence proves that at least some microbiotic life can find a way even in such frigid conditions. —Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 5 Dec. 2024

College Station is notoriously inhospitable, and the Irish have a new arm under center in Duke transfer Riley Leonard. —Chris Vannini, The Athletic, 29 Aug. 2024

Io is tiny in comparison with Jupiter, as seen in this animation, and the giant planet's gravitational forces cause the inhospitable conditions on the fiery moon. —Ashley Strickland, CNN, 13 Dec. 2024

That has meant selling most of its big-ticket office properties and assets in New York City, which Morali calls inhospitable for business, and going back to the apartment business that made the family so successful in the first place—returning to its New Jersey roots and beyond. —Monica Hunter-Hart, Forbes, 27 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1570, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

inhospitable

adjective

in·​hos·​pi·​ta·​ble ˌin-(ˌ)häs-ˈpit-ə-bəl  (ˈ)in-ˈhäs-(ˌ)pit- 

1

: not friendly or generous : not showing hospitality

2

: providing no shelter or food : barren

an inhospitable desert

inhospitably

-blē 

adverb

inhospitality

(ˌ)in-ˌhäs-pə-ˈtal-ət-ē

noun