Synonyms for enemy
ˈɛn ə mien·e·my

WiktionaryRate these synonyms:5.0 / 2 votes

1. enemynoun

   Synonyms:
   foe, nemesis, backfriend, adversary, unfriend

   Antonyms:
   friend, ally

2. enemynoun

   Someone who is hostile to, feels hatred towards, opposes the interests of, or intends injury to someone else.

   Synonyms:
   nemesis, unfriend, foe, adversary, backfriend

   Antonyms:
   ally, friend

3. enemynoun

   A hostile force or nation; a fighting member of such a force or nation.

   rally together against a common enemy.

   Synonyms:
   foe, adversary, nemesis, backfriend, unfriend

   Antonyms:
   friend, ally

4. enemynoun

   An alliance of such forces.

   Synonyms:
   backfriend, foe, nemesis, unfriend, adversary

   Antonyms:
   friend, ally

English Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:1.0 / 1 vote

1. enemy

   An enemy in private life is one who is moved by hostile feeling with active disposition to injure; but in military language all who fight on the opposite side are called enemies or collectively "the enemy," where no personal animosity may be implied; foe, which is rather a poetical and literary word, implies intensely hostile spirit and purpose. An antagonist is one who opposes and is opposed actively and with intensity of effort; an opponent, one in whom the attitude of resistance is the more prominent; a competitor, one who seeks the same object for which another is striving; antagonists in wrestling, competitors in business, opponents in debate may contend with no personal ill will; rivals in love, ambition, etc., rarely avoid inimical feeling. Adversary was formerly much used in the general sense of antagonist or opponent, but is now less common, and largely restricted to the hostile sense; an adversary is ordinarily one who not only opposes another in fact, but does so with hostile spirit, or perhaps out of pure malignity; as, the great Adversary. Compare synonyms for AMBITION.

   Synonyms:
   adversary, antagonist, competitor, foe, opponent, rival

   Antonyms:
   abettor, accessory, accomplice, ally, friend, helper, supporter

   Preposition:
   He was the enemy of my friend in the contest.

Princeton's WordNetRate these synonyms:2.0 / 2 votes

1. enemynoun

   an opposing military force

   "the enemy attacked at dawn"

   Synonyms:
   opposition, foe, foeman

2. enemy, foe, foeman, oppositionnoun

   an armed adversary (especially a member of an opposing military force)

   "a soldier must be prepared to kill his enemies"

   Synonyms:
   resistance, foeman, foe, oppositeness, opposite, confrontation, opposition, opponent

3. enemynoun

   any hostile group of people

   "he viewed lawyers as the real enemy"

   Synonyms:
   opposition, foe, foeman

4. foe, enemynoun

   a personal enemy

   "they had been political foes for years"

   Synonyms:
   opposition, foeman, foe

Matched Categories

1. • Adversary
   • Military
   • Military Unit
   • People
   • Rival

Dictionary of English SynonymesRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. enemynoun

   Synonyms:
   foe, adversary

2. enemynoun

   Synonyms:
   opponent, antagonist

3. enemynoun

   Synonyms:
   DEVIL, satan, arch-fiend

Synonyms, Antonyms & Associated WordsRate these synonyms:3.5 / 2 votes

1. enemynoun

   Synonyms:
   foe, adversary, opponent, antagonist, rival, hostile

   Associated words:
   hostile, hostility, feud, enmity, inimical, antagonism

PPDB, the paraphrase databaseRate these paraphrases:0.0 / 0 votes

1. List of paraphrases for "enemy":

   enemies, foe, adversary, hostile, hater, n.v.a., opponent, nemesis, foes, bogey

Suggested Resources

1. enemy

   Song lyrics by enemy -- Explore a large variety of song lyrics performed by enemy on the Lyrics.com website.

How to pronounce enemy?

How to say enemy in sign language?

Words popularity by usage frequency

How to use enemy in a sentence?

1. Marc Gonsalves:

   I would never wish what happened to me on my worst enemy. But I'm glad I wasn't alone there.

2. Helen Zia:

   This is a common thread for the history of Asians in America whether it’s an economic crisis or somebody to blame for the World Trade Center being destroyed: It’s Asians, yellow and brown people that have historically been scapegoated and blamed for these things, it goes to a threat that is more than a couple of hundred years old — blaming a group that is seen as the forever-enemy alien.

3. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei:

   I won’t get tired of saying the truth again and again ... The enemy pursues infiltration into the elections. People must be aware of that and act against what the enemies seek.

4. Lindsey Graham:

   My concern, by the statements made by President Trump, is that you set in motion enthusiasm by the enemy we're fighting, you make people we're trying to held wonder about us. And as they get bolder, people we're trying to help are going to get more uncertain. I saw this in Iraq. And I'm now seeing it in Syria.

5. Andrew Schneider:

   Death is the enemy. I spent 10 years of my life singlemindedly studying, practicing, fighting hand to hand in close quarters to defeat the enemy, to send him back bloodied and humble and I am not going to roll over and surrender.