Antonyms for enemy
ˈɛn ə mien·e·my

WiktionaryRate these synonyms:5.0 / 2 votes

1. enemynoun

   Antonyms:
   friend, ally

   Synonyms:
   foe, nemesis, backfriend, adversary, unfriend

2. enemynoun

   Someone who is hostile to, feels hatred towards, opposes the interests of, or intends injury to someone else.

   Antonyms:
   ally, friend

   Synonyms:
   nemesis, unfriend, foe, adversary, backfriend

3. enemynoun

   A hostile force or nation; a fighting member of such a force or nation.

   rally together against a common enemy.

   Antonyms:
   friend, ally

   Synonyms:
   foe, adversary, nemesis, backfriend, unfriend

4. enemynoun

   An alliance of such forces.

   Synonyms:
   backfriend, foe, nemesis, unfriend, adversary

   Antonyms:
   friend, ally

English Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:1.0 / 1 vote

1. enemy

   An enemy in private life is one who is moved by hostile feeling with active disposition to injure; but in military language all who fight on the opposite side are called enemies or collectively "the enemy," where no personal animosity may be implied; foe, which is rather a poetical and literary word, implies intensely hostile spirit and purpose. An antagonist is one who opposes and is opposed actively and with intensity of effort; an opponent, one in whom the attitude of resistance is the more prominent; a competitor, one who seeks the same object for which another is striving; antagonists in wrestling, competitors in business, opponents in debate may contend with no personal ill will; rivals in love, ambition, etc., rarely avoid inimical feeling. Adversary was formerly much used in the general sense of antagonist or opponent, but is now less common, and largely restricted to the hostile sense; an adversary is ordinarily one who not only opposes another in fact, but does so with hostile spirit, or perhaps out of pure malignity; as, the great Adversary. Compare synonyms for AMBITION.

   Antonyms:
   abettor, accessory, accomplice, ally, friend, helper, supporter

   Synonyms:
   adversary, antagonist, competitor, foe, opponent, rival

   Preposition:
   He was the enemy of my friend in the contest.

Matched Categories

1. • Adversary
   • Military
   • Military Unit
   • People
   • Rival

Princeton's WordNetRate these antonyms:2.0 / 2 votes

1. enemynoun

   an opposing military force

   "the enemy attacked at dawn"

   Synonyms:
   opposition, foe, foeman

2. enemy, foe, foeman, oppositionnoun

   an armed adversary (especially a member of an opposing military force)

   "a soldier must be prepared to kill his enemies"

   Synonyms:
   resistance, foeman, foe, oppositeness, opposite, confrontation, opposition, opponent

3. enemynoun

   any hostile group of people

   "he viewed lawyers as the real enemy"

   Synonyms:
   opposition, foe, foeman

4. foe, enemynoun

   a personal enemy

   "they had been political foes for years"

   Synonyms:
   opposition, foeman, foe

Synonyms, Antonyms & Associated WordsRate these synonyms:3.5 / 2 votes

1. enemynoun

   Synonyms:
   foe, adversary, opponent, antagonist, rival, hostile

   Associated words:
   hostile, hostility, feud, enmity, inimical, antagonism

Editors ContributionRate these antonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. ally

   Submitted by anonymous on November 24, 2020  

How to use enemy in a sentence?

1. Jamela Dunbar:

   War is our biggest enemy, yet we fight to kill our enemies whom we disagree with, lives are lost, at what prize?”

2. Walter Wangerin, Jr., Book of the Dun Cow:

   It is entirely possible to win against the enemy, it is possible, even, to kill the enemy... and still be defeated by the battle.

3. Richard Steele:

   Praise from an enemy is the most pleasing of all commendations.

4. Syed Salahuddin:

   We are at a loss to understand whether they (the Pakistan government) are concerned about the interests of the country that feeds them or that of its enemy? pakistan is not only an advocate but also a party to the longstanding Kashmir dispute and therefore the Pakistani people, government and media should play the role of a patron rather than of an adversary.

5. Arthur Wellesley:

   I don't know what effect these men will have upon the enemy, but by God, they frighten me.

How to pronounce enemy?

How to say enemy in sign language?

Words popularity by usage frequency