1
Personal hostility
Strong dislike directed at a person.
Example
Years of rivalry created lasting animosity between the leaders.
animosity
/ˌænɪˈmɒsɪti/ · an-ih-MOSS-ih-teenoun
Strong hostility or resentment toward someone or something.
Use animosity when the context supports this precise sense: strong hostility or resentment toward someone or something.
What animosity Really Means
The word becomes easier to use when its closely related senses are separated and compared.
2
Group resentment
Hostility between communities or factions.
Example
The agreement reduced animosity across the border.
3
Open antagonism
A hostile attitude revealed through speech or conduct.
Example
Despite their policy dispute, neither speaker showed personal animosity.
Use animosity Naturally
Notice how the surrounding noun or clause reveals the exact shade of meaning.
Years of rivalry created lasting animosity between the leaders.
The agreement reduced animosity across the border.
Despite their policy dispute, neither speaker showed personal animosity.
Precision Matters
Animosity overlaps with several common words, but each carries a different emphasis.
animosity
vs.Means strong hostility or resentment toward someone or something.
ambivalence
Means simultaneous conflicting feelings about something.
animosity
vs.Means strong hostility or resentment toward someone or something.
discord
Means serious disagreement, conflict, or lack of harmony.
animosity
vs.Means strong hostility or resentment toward someone or something.
indifference
Means lack of concern, interest, or preference.
animosity
vs.Means strong hostility or resentment toward someone or something.
affinity
Means a strong attraction, liking, or natural connection.
Test animosity in Context
The contrast concerns hostile feeling, which the praise shows was absent.
1
The letters reveal policy disagreements but no personal ___; each writer continued to praise the other’s integrity.