friendship

friendship — noun

1. a close, supportive relationship between people who trust, like, and care about

1.nounB1
Definition

a close, supportive relationship between people who trust, like, and care about each other

Example

The friendship between Cyrus and his neighbour grew stronger after they started gardening together.

collocation: friendship between X and Y

Daichi's deep friendship with Elena began when they worked on a school project together.

grammar: possessive + adjective + friendship

Common collocations
  • close friendship
  • lasting friendship
  • deep friendship
  • friendship with
  • friendship between
Synonyms
  • bond

    emphasises emotional strength; often used for very close or long-standing ties

  • relationship

    a broader term covering family, romantic, and professional connections, not just friendship

  • companionship

    focuses on spending time together rather than deep emotional closeness

  • camaraderie

    trust and goodwill among a group sharing a common goal or experience, such as teammates or colleagues

Antonyms
  • enmity

    active hostility or hatred between people, the direct opposite of friendship

  • hostility

    unfriendly or aggressive feelings or behaviour towards others

Usage Note

Friendship can be used as an uncountable noun (referring to the general feeling or state of being friends) or as a countable noun (referring to a specific relationship between particular people). The uncountable form is more common in general statements, while the countable form often appears with descriptive adjectives (a close / lasting / deep friendship).

Common Mistakes

They have a good friendship at work but never meet outside.
They have a good working relationship at work but never meet outside.
'friendship' implies personal closeness beyond just getting along professionally.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Friendship is the general word for a trusting, caring connection between people. Relationship is far broader — it covers family ties, romantic partners, and professional connections, not just friendship. Bond emphasises the emotional strength of a connection and is often reserved for very close or long-standing ties. Companionship focuses on the experience of spending time together rather than the depth of feeling, while camaraderie refers specifically to the trust and team spirit among people who share a common goal, such as colleagues or teammates. For example, you would call a work colleague a friendship only if you also spend time together outside the office; otherwise, describe the connection as camaraderie or a professional relationship.

friendship ↗bond ↗relationship ↗companionship ↗camaraderie

Common collocations

Nouns

  • bond of friendship
  • sign of friendship

Adverbs

Phrases

  • a token of friendship
  • a gesture of friendship
  • a friendship that knows no bounds

Prepositions

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishModern English

Friendship comes from Old English freondscipe, combining freond ('friend') with the suffix -scipe ('state, condition, or relationship'). The suffix -scipe is related to the verb scieppan ('to shape, create') and appears in other English nouns such as companionship and citizenship. The German cognate is Freundschaft.