ENGLISH
REFERENCE

enemy

n. · adj.
US //ˈɛnəmi// UK //ˈɛnəmi// en·e·my
  1. 1 personal opponent (n.)
    B1 Intermediate

    someone who hates you or actively works against you.

    an individual who feels hatred toward or seeks to harm another person.

    Example

    He made a powerful enemy when he told the truth about his boss.

    Example

    In politics, today's bitter enemy can easily become tomorrow's closest ally if their interests happen to align.
  2. 2 military opponent (n.)
    B1 Intermediate

    a country or army that your country is fighting against in a war.

    a hostile nation or military force, or a member of such a force.

    Example

    The soldiers were ordered to watch for any sign of the enemy.

    Example

    The general refused to underestimate the enemy, knowing they had superior knowledge of the mountain terrain.
Show 3 more sensesShow fewer
  1. 3 harmful thing (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    something that is dangerous or bad for you.

    an abstract force or condition that is harmful or threatening to someone or something.

    Example

    When you are trying to finish a project, time is your biggest enemy.

    Example

    Complacency is often the greatest enemy of progress in large, successful corporations.
  2. 4 video games (n.)
    B1 Intermediate Informal Computing

    a character in a game that tries to hurt your character.

    a non-player character (NPC) programmed to attack or hinder the player.

    Example

    I lost the game because too many enemies appeared at once.

    Example

    The developers increased the difficulty by giving the enemies better artificial intelligence and faster reaction times.
  3. 5 belonging to an opponent (adj.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    used to describe things that belong to the person or army you are fighting.

    relating to or belonging to a hostile force; used attributively before a noun.

    Example

    The pilot managed to land the plane safely behind enemy lines.

    Example

    The diplomat was careful not to reveal sensitive information while visiting the enemy capital.
Origin

From Middle English enemy, enemye, enmy, borrowed from Old French enemi, anemi (Modern French ennemi), from Latin inimīcus, from in- (“not”) + amīcus (“friend”). Displaced Middle English fend (“enemy”), from Old English fēond (“enemy”), which survived into Modern English as fiend, but with a different meaning. Doublet of inimic.

Idioms3 entries

© 2026 English Reference