English Reference
Adjective

inhospitable

adj.
B2 Upper Intermediate US /ˌɪnhɑˈspɪtəbəɫ/ UK /ɪnhɒspˈɪtəbəl/ in·hos·pitable

adj.not friendly or welcoming to visitors. It can also describe a place that is very difficult to live in because of the weather or environment.

adj.unfriendly or unwelcoming to guests; lacking the qualities of a hospitable environment. Often describes physical landscapes that are harsh or unsuitable for human habitation.


SIMPLE

The mountain air is very cold and inhospitable.

CONTEXTUAL

The desert is an inhospitable place for most plants because there is almost no water.

COMPLEX

While the coastal town was once a bustling hub of trade, its inhospitable climate and frequent storms eventually drove the population inland to more temperate regions.

This suggests that life of some kind could develop even on inhospitable planets.

The Guardian· 11 Aug 2026

Poems could be written relatively quickly, with limited means, and even in inhospitable places (the shelter, the trench).

The Guardian· 10 Aug 2026

From Middle French inhospitable, from Medieval Latin inhospitābilis. By surface analysis, in- + hospitable.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Origin la-med inhospitābilis
Level B2 · Upper Intermediate
Frequency Occasional
Updated