friendly

/ˈfrɛn(d)li/

/ˈfrɛndli/

Other forms: friendliest; friendlier; friendlies; friendlily

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.

Definitions of friendly

1. adjective

   characteristic of or befitting a friend
   “friendly advice”

   “a friendly neighborhood”

   “the only friendly person here”

   “a friendly host and hostess”

   synonyms:

   affable, amiable, cordial, genial

   diffusing warmth and friendliness

   chummy, matey, pally, palsy-walsy

   (used colloquially) having the relationship of friends or pals

   companionate

   like a companion

   comradely, hail-fellow, hail-fellow-well-met

   heartily friendly and congenial

   couthie, couthy

   (chiefly Scottish) agreeable and genial

   cozy, informal, intimate

   having or fostering a warm or friendly and informal atmosphere

   neighborly, neighbourly

   exhibiting the qualities expected in a friendly neighbor

   social

   marked by friendly companionship with others

   gracious

   characterized by charm, good taste, and generosity of spirit

   hospitable, xenial

   disposed to treat guests and strangers with cordiality and generosity

   amicable

   characterized by friendship and good will

   social

   living together or enjoying life in communities or organized groups

   sociable

   inclined to or conducive to companionship with others

   warm

   psychologically warm; friendly and responsive

   antonyms:

   unfriendly

   not disposed to friendship or friendliness

   beetle-browed, scowling

   sullen or unfriendly in appearance

   chilly

   lacking warmth of feeling

   uncordial

   lacking warmth or friendliness

   unneighborly, unneighbourly

   not exhibiting the qualities expected in a friendly neighbor

   inhospitable

   not hospitable

   hostile

   characterized by enmity or ill will

   unsociable

   not inclined to society or companionship

   cool

   psychologically cool and unenthusiastic; unfriendly or unresponsive or showing dislike
2. adjective

   inclined to help or support; not antagonistic or hostile
   “a government friendly to our interests”

   synonyms: favorable, well-disposed

   amicable

   characterized by friendship and good will
3. adjective

   of or belonging to your own country's forces or those of an ally
   “in friendly territory”

   antonyms:

   hostile

   not belonging to your own country's forces or those of an ally
4. noun

   troops belonging to or allied with your own military forces
   “friendlies came to their rescue”

   antonyms:

   hostile

   troops belonging to the enemy's military forces

   type of:

   military personnel, soldiery, troops

   soldiers collectively
5. adjective

   easy to understand or use
   “user-friendly computers”

   “a consumer-friendly policy”

   “a reader-friendly novel”

   antonyms:

   unfriendly

   not easy to understand or use