friendly
friendly — adjective
1. showing the kind and pleasant qualities of a friend — being warm, helpful, and h
showing the kind and pleasant qualities of a friend — being warm, helpful, and happy to talk or spend time with someone.
The new neighbours were very friendly and invited everyone to a barbecue.
friendly + person / group of people
Hassan gave Reema a friendly wave from across the street.
friendly + gesture (wave / smile / nod)
Our dog is extremely friendly and loves meeting new people at the park.
It was friendly of Quan to help Marta carry her shopping bags home.
it + be + friendly + of + person + to-infinitive
- friendly person
- friendly smile
- friendly welcome
- friendly attitude
- friendly tone
- friendly towards
- unfriendly
direct opposite; cold or hostile in manner
- hostile
much stronger; actively aggressive or opposed
Usage Note
Common with verbs like 'be', 'seem', 'look', 'sound'. Can also describe a person's tone, manner, or expression: 'a friendly voice', 'a friendly face'.
Common Mistakes
2. describing a place, event, or atmosphere that feels pleasant, comfortable, and w
describing a place, event, or atmosphere that feels pleasant, comfortable, and welcoming, as if among friends.
The café has a friendly atmosphere where people often stay to chat for hours.
friendly + atmosphere / environment
Vinícius chose a small hotel with a friendly bar and a cozy garden.
The office was a friendly place where everyone knew your name.
friendly + place / office / neighbourhood
Lotte found the village very friendly compared to the big city she grew up in.
- friendly atmosphere
- friendly environment
- friendly place
- friendly neighbourhood
- friendly community
- welcoming
emphasises the active effort to make newcomers feel included
- hospitable
suggests generous treatment of guests, especially in someone's home
- comfortable
focuses on physical ease rather than social warmth
- cold
distant and unwelcoming in feel
- unfriendly
direct opposite in atmosphere
Usage Note
Typically describes a location, environment, or social setting, not a person. Often used with 'atmosphere', 'environment', 'place', 'community'.
3. describing a game, competition, or argument that is played or done for enjoyment
describing a game, competition, or argument that is played or done for enjoyment or practice rather than as part of a serious tournament.
The two schools played a friendly football match at the end of the term.
friendly + match / game (sports)
It was only a friendly argument about which movie was better, nothing serious.
Hugo and Christopher joined a friendly tennis tournament at the local club.
Eli and Kevin had a friendly debate about politics that went on all evening.
- friendly match
- friendly game
- friendly competition
- friendly argument
- exhibition
more formal; a sports event intended to demonstrate skill rather than compete for a trophy
- casual
broader; can describe any relaxed, non-serious activity
- competitive
played with the aim of winning within a structured tournament
- serious
taken seriously with real stakes
Usage Note
Only used before a noun (e.g. 'a friendly match', 'a friendly game'). Cannot be used predicatively for this meaning: 'The match was friendly' would be understood as sense 2 (atmosphere), not this sense.
4. describing a country, government, or military force that is not an enemy and is
describing a country, government, or military force that is not an enemy and is on the same side in a conflict or dispute.
The general ordered his troops not to fire on friendly villages that had offered support.
friendly + village / territory / nation (military context)
Both friendly and enemy aircraft were spotted on the radar screen.
contrast: friendly vs enemy
The ambassador worked hard to keep trade relations friendly between the two nations.
Satellite images helped the soldiers distinguish friendly troops from the opposing force.
friendly + troops / forces / soldiers
- friendly nation
- friendly forces
- friendly territory
- friendly fire
- friendly government
- allied
joined by a formal agreement or treaty
- non-hostile
more neutral; simply not attacking
- sympathetic
showing support without being formally allied
Usage Note
Common in military, political, and diplomatic contexts. Often contrasts with 'enemy', 'hostile', or 'opposing'. 'Friendly fire' is a fixed phrase meaning accidental attacks on one's own forces.
Common Mistakes
5. designed to be easy to use, helpful to the person doing something, or not damagi
designed to be easy to use, helpful to the person doing something, or not damaging to the environment or to health.
The new software has a friendly interface that even beginners can use right away.
friendly + interface / design / system
Élise always buys cleaning products that are friendly to the environment.
friendly + to + noun (the environment / skin / the planet)
The hotel offers family-friendly activities for guests of all ages.
compound: family-friendly / user-friendly / eco-friendly
Bilal downloaded a budget-friendly app that helps him track his monthly spending.
- user-friendly
- eco-friendly
- family-friendly
- pet-friendly
- budget-friendly
- kid-friendly
- friendly to the environment
- easy-to-use
focuses purely on simplicity of operation
- convenient
saves effort or time, not specifically about being helpful to a particular group
- accessible
can be used or understood by people with different needs or abilities
Usage Note
Very common as part of compound adjectives: 'user-friendly', 'eco-friendly', 'family-friendly', 'budget-friendly', 'pet-friendly'. These compounds usually appear before a noun or after 'be'.
Common Mistakes
friendly — adverb
1. behaving in a kind, pleasant, and warm way toward someone during an interaction.
behaving in a kind, pleasant, and warm way toward someone during an interaction.
The taxi driver smiled friendly and asked where we were from.
Hui greeted everyone friendly at the start of the workshop.
verb + friendly (position after the verb)
The shop assistant spoke friendly to each customer who walked through the door.
Christopher nodded friendly at the waiter as he walked past the table.
friendly as adverb of manner after an action verb
Usage Note
Less common than the adjective form. In everyday English, speakers often use 'in a friendly way' or 'in a friendly manner' instead of the adverb 'friendly'. 'Friendlily' is rare and considered awkward.
Common Mistakes
friendly — noun
1. a sports contest arranged for fun or training, with no connection to any league
a sports contest arranged for fun or training, with no connection to any league or title competition.
The two clubs arranged a friendly before the start of the season.
countable: a friendly
England won their midweek friendly against Spain by three goals to one.
Paul scored twice in the friendly but the result did not affect the league table.
The team used the friendly to test their new goalkeeper before the cup started.
- play a friendly
- win a friendly
- international friendly
- pre-season friendly
- exhibition game
American English equivalent
- practice match
emphasises the training purpose
Usage Note
Countable noun. Common in British sports journalism and broadcasting. More rarely used in American English, where 'exhibition game' is preferred.
2. a person, group, or military force that is on your side and not an enemy, especi
a person, group, or military force that is on your side and not an enemy, especially in a combat situation.
The pilot was told to avoid dropping supplies where no friendlies had been reported.
plural form: friendlies
The commander radioed back that the approaching troops were friendlies, not hostiles.
contrast: friendlies vs hostiles
Satellite imagery confirmed the presence of both civilians and friendlies in the valley.
The radio crackled with voices calling out warnings to any friendlies in the area.
- friendly forces
- identify friendlies
- no friendlies in the area
- friendlies and hostiles
- ally
broader; can refer to political or military partners
- friendly forces
more explicit, avoids ambiguity with the sports sense
Usage Note
Almost always used in the plural ('friendlies'). Singular 'a friendly' to mean 'an ally' is very rare in modern English. Common in military radio communication and strategy discussions.
friendly — suffix
1. added to the end of a noun to form an adjective meaning 'not damaging to that th
added to the end of a noun to form an adjective meaning 'not damaging to that thing' — especially used with environmental, health, and safety terms.
More people are choosing eco-friendly products to reduce their impact on the planet.
eco-friendly (environment)
The packaging is made from ozone-friendly materials that do not harm the atmosphere.
ozone-friendly (atmosphere)
Marta switched to a reef-friendly sunscreen after learning about coral damage.
Ozone-friendly refrigerants are now required by law in most countries.
- eco-friendly
- ozone-friendly
- environmentally friendly
- -unfriendly
direct opposite suffix (e.g. 'eco-unfriendly')
- harmful
not a suffix; describes something that causes damage
Grammar Patterns
noun + -friendly
Usage Note
Forms compound adjectives. Very productive in modern English — new compounds appear frequently (e.g. 'climate-friendly', 'ocean-friendly'). These compounds can be used before a noun or after 'be'.
2. added to the end of a noun to form an adjective meaning 'easy or pleasant for a
added to the end of a noun to form an adjective meaning 'easy or pleasant for a particular group of people to use or enjoy'.
The website has a user-friendly design that makes online shopping very easy.
user-friendly (easy to use)
The hotel is family-friendly, with a playground and a children's pool.
family-friendly (suitable for families)
Ziad recommended a beginner-friendly yoga class for people who have never tried it before.
They stayed at a pet-friendly cabin so their dog could come along on holiday.
pet-friendly (allows / welcomes pets)
- user-friendly
- family-friendly
- kid-friendly
- pet-friendly
- budget-friendly
- beginner-friendly
- reader-friendly
- inaccessible
difficult for a particular group to use or reach
Grammar Patterns
noun + -friendly
Usage Note
Very productive suffix in marketing, travel, and technology writing. Common compounds include 'user-friendly', 'family-friendly', 'kid-friendly', 'pet-friendly', 'budget-friendly', 'beginner-friendly'.