Word forms: comparative friendlier, superlative friendliest, plural friendlies
1. adjective
If someone is friendly, they behave in a pleasant, kind way, and like to be with other people.
Godfrey had been friendly to me. [+ to]
...a man with a pleasant, friendly face.
Robert has a friendly relationship with his customers.
...a friendly atmosphere.
Your cat isn't very friendly.
Synonyms: amicable, warm, familiar, pleasant More Synonyms of friendly
friendlinessuncountable noun
She also loves the friendliness of the people.
Synonyms: amiability, warmth, sociability, conviviality More Synonyms of friendly
2. adjective [verb-link ADJECTIVE]
If you are friendlywith someone, you like each other and enjoy spending time together.
I'm friendly with his mother. [+ with]
Asmus became friendly with a number of writers and appeared in print as a literarycritic.
3. adjective
You can describe another country or their government as friendly when they have good relations with your own country rather than being an enemy.
...a worsening in relations between the two previously friendly countries.
4. countable noun
In sport, a friendly is a match which is not part of a competition, and is played for entertainment or practice, often without any serious effort to win.
[British]
Athletic Bilbao agreed to play a friendly at Real Sociedad.
Friendly is also an adjective.
...an ill-deserved 2-1 win over Japan in a friendly match.
regional note: in AM, use exhibition game
More Synonyms of friendly
-friendly
(-frendli)
1. combining form
-friendly combines with nouns to form adjectives which describe things that are not harmful to the specified part of the natural world.
Guidelines called for dolphin-friendly tuna, free-range eggs and fair trade coffee.
...ozone-friendly fridges.
2. combining form
-friendly combines with nouns to form adjectives which describe things which are intended for or suitable for the specified person, especially things that are easy for them to understand, appreciate, or use.
...customer-friendly banking facilities.
3. See also user-friendly
friendly in British English
(ˈfrɛndlɪ)
adjectiveWord forms: -lier or -liest
1.
showing or expressing liking, goodwill, or trust
a friendly smile
2.
on the same side; not hostile
3.
tending or disposed to help or support; favourable
a friendly breeze helped them escape
nounWord forms: plural-lies
4. Also called: friendly match sport
a match played for its own sake, and not as part of a competition, etc
Derived forms
friendlily (ˈfriendlily)
adverb
friendliness (ˈfriendliness)
noun
-friendly in British English
combining form in adjective
helpful, easy, or good for the person or thing specified
ozone-friendly
friendly in American English
(ˈfrɛndli)
adjectiveWord forms: ˈfriendlier or ˈfriendliest
1.
like, characteristic of, or suitable for a friend, friends, or friendship; kindly
2.
not hostile; amicable
3.
supporting; helping; favorable
a friendly wind
4.
showing friendly feelings; ready to be a friend
5. Informal
easy to use, operate, or understand
a friendly set of computer icons
adverbWord forms: ˈfriendlier or ˈfriendliest
6.
in a friendly manner; as a friend
nounWord forms: pluralˈfriendlies
7.
a person or thing that is friendly
Derived forms
friendlily (ˈfriendlily)
adverb
friendliness (ˈfriendliness)
noun
Word origin
ME frendli < OE freondlice
-friendly in American English
(ˈfrɛndli)
1.
easily used or understood by
learner-friendly
2.
a.
helpful to or safe for
child-friendly
b.
not harmful to
environment-friendly
▶ USAGE: Sometimes with an adverb or a combining form [environmentally-friendly, eco-friendly]
Examples of 'friendly' in a sentence
friendly
It is a myth that wood burning is environmentally friendly.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The atmosphere is friendly as hipsters mingle with young families.
The Sun (2016)
Are the people kind and friendly?
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Unlike existing robots, these would be designed to be ephemeral and environmentally friendly.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
People can do something about it by refusing single-use plastic packaging and opting for environmentally friendly products instead.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
So is the answer to move away from real vanilla, and toward more environmentally friendly ways of scaling up production of artificial vanilla?
Smithsonian Mag (2017)
Saturn merges with the moon in your talk chart and though you come across as calm and friendly, people take what you say seriously.
The Sun (2017)
They have to grow food and make a profit but we've found them to be fantastic in trying to keep their farms environmentally friendly.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
In the flesh she looks just as incredible, but is also warm, friendly and extremely down to earth.
The Sun (2016)
He hopes for another opportunity against Spain tomorrow, rejecting the suggestion that the friendly match is all about experimentation.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
This year he has gone for a friendly atmosphere.
The Sun (2015)
He gave me a friendly pat on the arm.
Aidan Hartley THE ZANZIBAR CHEST: A Memoir of Love and War (2003)
The service by the friendly waiters was spot on.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
People are friendly and support each other.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
The forward felt pain after playing in a friendly match two weeks ago.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
Upon arrival we noticed very quickly we were not greeted with friendly faces.
Christianity Today (2000)
She is a very friendly and pleasant presenter.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
The face of the car is friendly but also slightly menacing.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
They are also produced in a sustainable and ethically and environmentally friendly manner.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
The stranger with the friendly smile was studying me.
Sidney Sheldon The Other Side of Me
High flint walls surround it on sides and friendly trees from neighbouring offer shade and privacy.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
It did not feel like a meaningless friendly match.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
The members seem to enjoy the family setting and there is a very friendly atmosphere.
The Sun (2011)
The food is delicious and the service friendly.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
It is not enough to show the world a friendly face.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Everyone found him to be a very friendly and most pleasant person.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
People seemed so friendly and open.
The Sun (2008)
Good advice from a friendly face.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
You can watch pre-season friendlies as early as this week.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
Real bears might have ENJOYED a rather more friendly reception.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
Some of the young players are training with us and some have played in some friendly games, but we need to use the squad.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
Villa finished the season in style and have a 100 per cent record in pre-season friendlies.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
In other languages
friendly
British English: friendly /ˈfrɛndlɪ/ ADJECTIVE
A friendly person is kind and pleasant.
He had a pleasant, friendly face.
American English: friendly
Arabic: وُدِّيّ
Brazilian Portuguese: amigável
Chinese: 友好的
Croatian: prijateljski
Czech: přívětivý
Danish: venlig
Dutch: vriendelijk
European Spanish: simpático
Finnish: ystävällinen
French: sympathique
German: freundlich
Greek: φιλικός
Italian: amichevole
Japanese: 親しい
Korean: 친절한
Norwegian: vennlig
Polish: przyjazny
European Portuguese: amigável
Romanian: prietenos
Russian: дружеский
Latin American Spanish: simpático
Swedish: vänlig
Thai: เป็นมิตร
Turkish: dostça
Ukrainian: товариський
Vietnamese: thân thiện
All related terms of 'friendly'
eco-friendly
Eco-friendly products or services are less harmful to the environment than other similar products or services.
friendly face
Your face is the front part of your head from your chin to the top of your forehead , where your mouth, eyes, nose , and other features are.
friendly fire
firing by one's own side, esp when it harms one's own personnel
gay-friendly
welcoming to homosexual people
user-friendly
If you describe something such as a machine or system as user-friendly , you mean that it is well designed and easy to use.
friendly banter
Banter is teasing or joking talk that is amusing and friendly .
friendly manner
The manner in which you do something is the way that you do it.
friendly match
a match played for its own sake , and not as part of a competition , etc
friendly staff
The staff of an organization are the people who work for it.
ozone-friendly
Ozone-friendly chemicals , products , or technology do not cause harm to the ozone layer.
Friendly Islands
→ Tonga
friendly neighbour
Your neighbour is someone who lives near you.
friendly society
A friendly society is an organization to which people regularly pay small amounts of money and which then gives them money when they retire or when they are ill .
environment-friendly
that has no or the least possible impact on the environment
friendly atmosphere
The atmosphere of a place is the general impression that you get of it.
environmentally friendly
that has no or the least possible impact on the environment
benefit association
an association of people who pay regular dues or other sums in return for old-age pensions , sickness benefits , etc
provident society
an association of people who pay regular dues or other sums in return for old-age pensions , sickness benefits , etc
chummier
friendly
chummiest
friendly
chummy
If people or social events are chummy , they are pleasant and friendly.