unhospitable
Definition
- Adjective:
- Not welcoming to guests: "unhospitable" describes a person, place, or environment that is unfriendly, unwelcoming, or inhospitable toward visitors or strangers.
- Harsh or uninviting: Used to describe conditions or surroundings that are difficult, unpleasant, or unsuitable for living or staying.
Usage Examples
- (Not welcoming to guests.)
- (Harsh and uninviting environmental conditions.)
Advanced Usage
"unhospitable terrain": land that is difficult to traverse or live in.
- The explorers struggled through the unhospitable terrain of the Arctic. (The landscape was harsh and uninviting.)
"an unhospitable reception": a cold or unfriendly welcome.
- The new employee received an unhospitable reception from the team. (The team was not welcoming.)
Variants and Related Words
Unhospitableness (n): the quality of being unwelcoming or harsh.
- The unhospitableness of the region discouraged settlers. (The region’s lack of hospitality deterred people.)
Unhospitably (adv): in an unwelcoming or harsh manner.
- They were treated unhospitably by the locals. (The locals behaved in a cold, unfriendly way.)
Synonyms
- Inhospitable: not friendly or welcoming to guests; harsh.
- Unwelcoming: not making someone feel welcome.
- Hostile: unfriendly or antagonistic.
- Forbidding: looking dangerous or unpleasant.
Related Idioms
Give a cold shoulder: to deliberately ignore or treat someone unfriendly.
- The host gave the unexpected guests a cold shoulder, making the evening very unhospitable. (The host was unwelcoming.)
Not roll out the red carpet: to not give a special, warm welcome.
- The company did not roll out the red carpet for the new interns; in fact, the atmosphere was quite unhospitable. (The welcome was not warm or generous.)