inhospitable
adjective
in·hos·pi·ta·ble
ˌin-(ˌ)hä-ˈspi-tə-bəl 
(ˌ)in-ˈhä-(ˌ)spi-
(ˌ)in-ˈhä-(ˌ)spi-
1
: not showing hospitality : not friendly or receptive
2
: providing no shelter or sustenance
an inhospitable environment
inhospitableness
noun
Synonyms
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
Extreme places on Earth may hold clues Some microbes can withstand Earth’s most inhospitable corners, hinting that life may be able to survive similarly extreme conditions on other worlds.
—
Big Think, 24 June 2024
Police have long suspected that Gilbert somehow got lost in the inhospitable marshland and died accidentally — either of exposure or accidental drowning.
—Christine Pelisek, Peoplemag, 16 June 2024
What used to be an inhospitable habitat is becoming fertile ground for malaria transmission.
—Zoya Teirstein, Vox, 30 May 2024
Predator’s jungle setting wasn’t quite as desolate and inhospitable, but there was still a clear sense that our muscled protagonists were going somewhere they weren’t supposed to be — somewhere a stranger, deadlier creature was more at home.
—James Grebey, Vulture, 31 Jan. 2024
See all Example Sentences for inhospitable 
Big Think, 24 June 2024
Police have long suspected that Gilbert somehow got lost in the inhospitable marshland and died accidentally — either of exposure or accidental drowning.
—Christine Pelisek, Peoplemag, 16 June 2024
What used to be an inhospitable habitat is becoming fertile ground for malaria transmission.
—Zoya Teirstein, Vox, 30 May 2024
Predator’s jungle setting wasn’t quite as desolate and inhospitable, but there was still a clear sense that our muscled protagonists were going somewhere they weren’t supposed to be — somewhere a stranger, deadlier creature was more at home.
—James Grebey, Vulture, 31 Jan. 2024
See all Example Sentences for inhospitable
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'inhospitable.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near inhospitable
Cite this Entry
“Inhospitable.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/inhospitable. Accessed 4 Jul. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
inhospitable
adjective
in·hos·pi·ta·ble
ˌin-(ˌ)häs-ˈpit-ə-bəl
(ˈ)in-ˈhäs-(ˌ)pit-
(ˈ)in-ˈhäs-(ˌ)pit-
1
: not friendly or generous : not showing hospitality
2
: providing no shelter or food : barren
an inhospitable desert
inhospitality
noun
(ˌ)in-ˌhäs-pə-ˈtal-ət-ē
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share