Simple Definition of inimical
: likely to cause damage or have a bad effect
: not friendly
Full Definition of inimical
Examples of inimical in a sentence
<received an inimical response rather than the anticipated support>
<laws designed to enhance national security that some regard as inimical to cherished freedoms>
Did You Know?
In inimical, one finds both a friend and an enemy. The word descends from Latin inimicus, which combines amicus, meaning "friend," with the negative prefix in-, meaning "not." In current English, inimical rarely describes a person, however. Instead, it is generally used to describe forces, concepts, or situations that are in some way harmful or hostile. For example, high inflation may be called inimical to economic growth. Inimicus is also an ancestor of enemy, whereas amicus gave us the much more congenial amicable (meaning "friendly" or "peaceful") and amiable (meaning "agreeable" or "friendly").
Origin of inimical
Late Latin inimicalis, from Latin inimicus enemy — more at enemy
First Known Use: 1573
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