enmity
n.a feeling of strong hate or being an enemy toward someone. It is a deep, long-lasting dislike that often leads to conflict.
n.a state or feeling of active opposition or hostility. Refers to a deep-seated animosity that typically exists between two parties over a long period.
“There is a long history of enmity between the two families.”
“The decades of political enmity made it nearly impossible for the two leaders to reach a peace agreement.”
“The treaty was designed to end centuries of regional enmity, yet underlying tensions remained visible in the way the borders were eventually drawn.”
Uncountable when referring to the general state of hostility; countable when referring to specific instances or historical periods of conflict.
From Middle English enemyte, from Old French enemisté, ennemistié, from Late Latin, Vulgar Latin inimīcitās, inimīcitātem, from Latin inimīcus (“enemy”); cognates: French inimitié, Portuguese inimizade, Spanish enemistad. Equivalent to enemy + -ity.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.