inhospitable

adjective

in·​hos·​pi·​ta·​ble ˌin-(ˌ)hä-ˈspi-tə-bəl How to pronounce inhospitable (audio) (ˌ)in-ˈhä-(ˌ)spi- How to pronounce inhospitable (audio)
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 How to pronounce inhospitable (audio)
(ˌ)in-ˈhä-(ˌ)spi-
adverb

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
But fashion aside, Capri in truth is an utterly inhospitable piece of high rock surrounded by churning seas, with not a single accessible beach to its name. James Fallon, Footwear News, 24 May 2025 The temperatures for late May, even this far north, have plummeted, making the inhospitable terrain of northern Finland even tougher for the Finnish, Swedish and British soldiers halfway through joint live-fire exercises, dubbed Northern Strike 125, in Europe's largest training ground, Rovajärvi. Ellie Cook — Reporting From Rovajärvi, Northern Finland, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 May 2025 Per the official premise: Five years after the events of Jurassic World Dominion, the planet’s ecology has proven largely inhospitable to dinosaurs. Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 20 May 2025 Tilda Swinton and Michael Shannon play the mom and dad of a wealthy family holed up in a posh bunker in a salt mine, George MacKay plays their son who yearns to know about the inhospitable outside world, and Moses Ingram is the stranger who changes everything. Brian Truitt, USA Today, 10 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for inhospitable

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1570, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of inhospitable was circa 1570

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Inhospitable.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/inhospitable. Accessed 29 May. 2025.

Kids Definition

inhospitable

adjective
in·​hos·​pi·​ta·​ble ˌin-(ˌ)häs-ˈpit-ə-bəl How to pronounce inhospitable (audio) (ˈ)in-ˈhäs-(ˌ)pit- How to pronounce inhospitable (audio)
1
: not friendly or generous : not showing hospitality
2
: providing no shelter or food : barren
an inhospitable desert
inhospitably adverb
inhospitality
(ˌ)in-ˌhäs-pə-ˈtal-ət-ē
noun
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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