friendly
adjective
characteristic of or befitting a friend; showing friendship.
friendly
American
[frend-lee]
/ ˈfrɛnd li /
adjective
-
friendlier,
comparative
-
friendliest
superlative
-
characteristic of or befitting a friend; showing friendship.
a friendly greeting.
- Synonyms:
- neighborly, companionable
-
like a friend; kind; helpful.
a little friendly advice.
- Synonyms:
- cordial, amiable, kindly, kindhearted, affectionate, genial
-
favorably disposed; inclined to approve, help, or support.
a friendly bank.
- Synonyms:
- propitious, sympathetic, favorable, helpful, well-disposed, benevolent
- Antonyms:
- antagonistic
-
not hostile or at variance; amicable.
a friendly warship;
friendly natives.
-
easy to use, operate, understand, etc. (usually used in combination).
a consumer-friendly instruction manual;
a friendly food processor.
-
able to coexist with something without harm or trouble (usually used in combination).
environmentally friendly building materials;
a child-friendly restaurant.
adverb
noun
-
friendlies
plural
friendly
1
British
/ ˈfrɛndlɪ /
adjective
-
showing or expressing liking, goodwill, or trust
a friendly smile
-
on the same side; not hostile
-
tending or disposed to help or support; favourable
a friendly breeze helped them escape
noun
-friendly
2
British
combining form
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Adjectives
Etymology
Origin of friendly
Explanation
Friendly, describes people who are kind, caring, and make you feel comfortable. You might be new to town, but the people are so friendly that you'll soon feel right at home. The noun friend is at the root of the adjective friendly. When you're friendly, you treat everyone like a friend — with warmth and respect. A friendly game of badminton is by definition not too serious or competitive, and a vegetarian-friendly menu makes non meat-eaters feel welcome, just as user-friendly instructions make it easy for non-professionals to follow the directions.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Kremlev’s press office previously told ProPublica that he and Trump Jr. “have a friendly relationship” and that they don’t talk politics.
From Salon ● Sep. 19, 2026
Early European colonists in North America and the indigenous communities they encountered each tried to gain the advantage in meetings friendly and otherwise.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
From MSU, he was off again, this time to a friendly crowd where he once again repeated his brief 9/11 speech before moving on to more familiar applause lines.
From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026
Usually Nash, their friendly golden retriever, jumps and barks at new visitors, Rowley said, but once they get inside, “he just thinks it’s time to play.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026
Her brothers understood perfectly, and tried to clarify by alternating a howling “ahwoo” with a friendly “hawoo.”
From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood
“Google fans seem to eat this kumbaya stuff up, to really believe it,” wrote John Gruber, a blogger who runs the -friendly site Daring Fireball.
From Forbes ● May 16, 2013
There are lines, -friendly soundbites and poetry, and then there is John Cooper Clarke.
From The Guardian ● May 3, 2013
Leeds United's Harry Wilson and Wolves midfielder Jordan James return to the squad after missing June's friendlies with Ghana and Romania through injury, as does Swansea City defender Ben Cabango.
From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026
The Reds have won two and lost two of their four friendlies so far - beating Sunderland and Wrexham, but throwing away two-goal leads in defeats by Leeds and Monaco.
From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026
"Shea can play in the Premier League, there's no doubt about that," said Charles' international boss before June's friendlies with Guinea and France.
From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026
Defoe's ninth and final game in charge of Woking was a 1-0 defeat by Braintree Town in one of three pre-season friendlies on Tuesday.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
“Who are the friendlies ahead of us?” he asked.
From "Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War" by Steve Sheinkin
“That doesn’t make a home within reach for everyone, but, for people who can afford to buy now, it’s a much friendlier market than it was a few years ago.”
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 10, 2026
Indeed, United did not have a shot on target until the ninth minute of second-half stoppage time, substitute Simi Awujo's goal giving the scoreline a friendlier look.
From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026
Infosys created its yeti—partly generated by AI—to put a friendlier face on its artificial-intelligence consulting services, according to Sumit Virmani, executive vice president and chief marketing officer.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
The fireworks show has faced controversy regarding the famous avians, spawning a Change.org petition to move the festivities farther away or switch to an environmentally friendlier drone show.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 6, 2026
And on some level, I expected a brand- new Birmingham—a friendlier and more accommodating Birmingham, where my children could experience the freedom that had been lacking for me as a child.
From "While the World Watched: A Birmingham Bombing Survivor Comes of Age during the Civil Rights Movement" by Carolyn Maull McKinstry
The friendliest U.S. cities, according to World Cup tourists.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 30, 2026
In another video played to the court, Warren told police his XL Bullies, one of which he bought on Gumtree, were "the friendliest dogs I know" and said poodles were "more aggressive".
From BBC ● Feb. 2, 2026
In the end, Elmer the patchwork elephant seemed the friendliest, least controversial decision.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 1, 2026
Your executive producer on "Watson" said that it would be fun to cast the friendliest man in the world in this role.
From Salon ● Apr. 2, 2025
“Vote for the girl who has been the friendliest throughout the time we’ve prepared for this competition,” Mrs. Moore announces.
From "Like Vanessa" by Tami Charles
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
