Word
Definition
adj. behaving in a kind and pleasant way toward others. You use this to describe someone who is easy to talk to and acts like a friend.
adj. behaving in a kind and pleasant way; showing or expressing goodwill and amity.
Examples
“The staff at the hotel are very friendly.”
“She gave me a friendly smile and offered to help me find my way to the station.”
“Despite the competitive nature of the industry, the two rival CEOs maintained a friendly relationship, often meeting for lunch to discuss shared challenges.”
Examples
simple
“The staff at the hotel are very friendly.”
contextual
“She gave me a friendly smile and offered to help me find my way to the station.”
complex
“Despite the competitive nature of the industry, the two rival CEOs maintained a friendly relationship, often meeting for lunch to discuss shared challenges.”
Collocations
Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “friendly” in context.
Usage
Commonly followed by the preposition 'to' or 'with' when describing relationships.
Pitfall
He smiled friendly at me
He smiled in a friendly way at me
Friendly is an adjective, not an adverb; it cannot modify a verb directly despite ending in -ly.
Etymology
From Middle English frendly, freendly, frendely, frendlich, from Old English frēondlīċ, from Proto-Germanic *frijōndlīkaz, equivalent to friend + -ly. Cognate with Saterland Frisian früntelk, fjuntelk (“friendly”), West Frisian freonlik (“friendly”), Dutch vriendelijk (“friendly”), German Low German fründelk, frünnelk (“friendly”), German freundlich (“friendly”). Doublet of friendlike.
From Middle English frendly, frendliche, from Old English frēondlīċe (“in a friendly manner”), equivalent to friend + -ly.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
ADJECTIVE
Related words
Domains
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.A1 MoversIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.2.0–3.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 1.0–1.50–23TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.120–224
- Frequency
- Common
- Level
- A1 · BeginnerOxford
- Updated
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QR code
englishreference.com/q/friendly
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「日本語」 data: JMdict (EDRDG), CC BY-SA 4.0