Behaving in a pleasant, kind way towards someone
دوستانه، صمیمانه
He treated us in a friendly way.
او با ما دوستانه رفتار کرد.
Oxford Essential Dictionary
friendly
adjective (friendlier, friendliest)
kind and helpful:
My neighbours are very friendly.
opposite unfriendly
be friendly with somebody to be somebody's friend:
Jane is friendly with their daughter.
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
friendly
I. friend‧ly1 S2 W3 /ˈfrendli/ BrE AmE adjective (comparative friendlier, superlative friendliest)
[Word Family: noun: ↑friend, ↑friendliness, ↑friendship, ↑friendly; adjective: ↑friendly ≠ ↑unfriendly, ↑friendless; verb: ↑befriend]
1. behaving towards someone in a way that shows you like them and are ready to talk to them or help them OPP unfriendly:
a friendly smile
I’ve found a great pub – good beer and a friendly atmosphere.
friendly to/towards
Why is he suddenly so friendly towards you, Charlotte?
2. be friendly with somebody to be friends with someone:
Betty’s very friendly with the Jacksons.
3. not at war with your own country, or not opposing you OPP hostile:
friendly nations
4. British English a friendly game is played for pleasure or practice, and not because it is important to win:
a friendly match against AC Milan
5. user-friendly/customer-friendly etc not difficult for particular people to understand or use:
a user-friendly computer program
a customer-friendly shopping mall
6. environmentally-friendly/ozone-friendly/eco-friendly etc not harmful to the environment, ↑ozone layer etc:
eco-friendly washing powder
7. friendly fire bombs, bullets etc that accidentally kill people who are fighting on the same side
—friendliness noun [uncountable]
• • •
THESAURUS
▪ friendly behaving towards someone in a way that shows you like them and are ready to talk to them or help them: a friendly smile | The local people are very friendly.
▪ warm [usually before noun] friendly and caring about other people, in a way that makes people like you and feel comfortable: He was such a warm caring person and everyone loved him. | We received a very warm welcome.
▪ nice especially spoken friendly and kind: Chris is a nice guy. I’m sure you’ll get on with him. | He wasn’t very nice to the other children.
▪ amiable /ˈeɪmiəbəl/ formal friendly and easy to like: Tom was an amiable young man.
▪ welcoming friendly to someone who has just arrived somewhere: a welcoming smile | The group are very welcoming to new members.
▪ hospitable friendly and eager to make visitors comfortable: I found Japanese people to be very hospitable.
▪ genial formal behaving in a cheerful and friendly way: a genial host | She was in a genial mood.
▪ cordial formal friendly and polite but formal: The two nations have always maintained cordial relations.
▪ approachable friendly and easy to talk to – used especially about people in important positions: The head teacher is very approachable.
Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary
friendly
friend·ly [friendly friendlies friendlier friendliest] adjective, noun [ˈfrendli] [ˈfrendli]
adjective (friend·lier, friend·li·est)
1. behaving in a kind and pleasant way because you like sb or want to help them
• a warm and friendly person
• ~ to/toward(s) sb Everyone was very friendly towards me.
Opp: unfriendly
2. showing kindness; making you feel relaxed and as though you are among friends
• a friendly smile/welcome
• a small hotel with a friendly atmosphere
Opp: unfriendly
3. ~ (with sb) treating sb as a friend
• We soon became friendly with the couple next door.
• She was on friendly terms with most of the hospital staff.
• We were not on the friendliest of terms (= we were not friendly at all).
4. (especially of the relationship between countries) not treating sb/sth as an enemy
• to maintain friendly relations with all countries
Opp: hostile
5. (often in compound adjectives) that is helpful and easy to use; that helps sb/sth or does not harm it
• This software is much friendlier than the previous version.
• environmentally-friendly farming methods
• ozone-friendly cleaning materials
see also user-friendly
6. in which the people, teams, etc. taking part are not seriously competing against each other
• a friendly argument
• friendly rivalry
• (BrE) It was only a friendly match.
Thesaurus:
friendly adj.
1.
• Jim gave me a friendly smile.
warm • • welcoming • • good-natured • • pleasant • • likeable • • hospitable • • approachable • |especially spoken nice • • lovely • |written amiable • • genial •
Opp: unfriendly
friendly/pleasant/welcoming/hospitable/nice to sb
a/an friendly/warm/good-natured/pleasant/likeable/hospitable/approachable/nice/lovely/amiable/genial person
a friendly/warm/welcoming/pleasant/hospitable/amiable/genial manner
2.
• She was on friendly terms with her employees.
amicable • • easy • |formal cordial •
Opp: hostile
(a/an) friendly/amicable/easy/cordial relationship/relations
a/an friendly/amicable/cordial meeting
be on friendly/amicable/easy/cordial terms (with sb)
Example Bank:
• For once he seemed almost friendly.
• Frank was a genuinely friendly guy.
• He seemed detached, almost bored, but perfectly friendly.
• He was always friendly towards me.
• He was starting to get too friendly.
• Her manner was not exactly friendly
• She's very friendly with Maureen.
• They were pretty friendly when they worked together.
• We have managed to remain on friendly terms.
• environmentally friendly cleaning products
• Everyone was exceptionally friendly towards me.
• It's a small hotel with a friendly atmosphere.
• John gave me a friendly smile.
• She's a very warm and friendly person.
• The boss had a friendly chat with me about the problem after work.
• The government has maintained friendly relations with the Japanese.
• We were not on the friendliest of terms.
Derived Word: friendliness
Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary
Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary - 4th Edition
friendly / ˈfrend.li / adjective
A2 behaving in a pleasant, kind way towards someone:
a friendly face/smile
Our neighbours have always been very friendly to/towards us.
I'm on quite friendly terms with my daughter's teacher.
Are you friendly with (= a friend of) Graham?
→ Opposite unfriendly
describes a place that is pleasant and that makes you feel happy and comfortable:
It's a friendly little restaurant.
A friendly game or argument is one that you play or have for pleasure and in order to practise your skills, rather than playing or arguing seriously with the aim of winning:
We were having a friendly argument about Green politics.
The teams are playing a friendly match on Sunday.
Friendly countries and friendly soldiers are ones who are not your enemies and who are working or fighting with you.
friendliness / -nəs / noun [ U ]
© Cambridge University Press 2013
Collins Advanced Learner’s English Dictionary
friendly
/frendli/
(friendlier, friendliest, friendlies)
Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English.
1.
If someone is friendly, they behave in a pleasant, kind way, and like to be with other people.
Godfrey had been friendly to me.
...a man with a pleasant, friendly face...
Robert has a friendly relationship with his customers.
...a friendly atmosphere...
Your cat isn’t very friendly.
ADJ
• friend‧li‧ness
She also loves the friendliness of the people.
N-UNCOUNT
2.
If you are friendly with someone, you like each other and enjoy spending time together.
I’m friendly with his mother...
ADJ: v-link ADJ, usu ADJ with n
3.
You can describe another country or their government as friendly when they have good relations with your own country rather than being an enemy.
...a worsening in relations between the two previously friendly countries.
ADJ
4.
In sport, a friendly is a match which is not part of a competition, and is played for entertainment or practice, often without any serious effort to win. (BRIT)
Athletic Bilbao agreed to play a friendly at Real Sociedad.
N-COUNT
•
Friendly is also an adjective. (in AM, use exhibition game)
Austria beat Hungary 3-nil in a friendly match at Salzburg on Wednesday.
ADJ: ADJ n
-friendly
/-frendli/
1.
-friendly combines with nouns to form adjectives which describe things that are not harmful to the specified part of the natural world.
Palm oil is environment-friendly.
...ozone-friendly fridges.
COMB in ADJ
2.
-friendly combines with nouns to form adjectives which describe things which are intended for or suitable for the specified person, especially things that are easy for them to understand, appreciate, or use.
...customer-friendly banking facilities.
COMB in ADJ
Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary
1friend·ly /ˈfrɛndli/ adj friend·li·er; -est [also more ~; most ~]
1 a : acting like a friend : kind and helpful
• friendly neighbors
• The local people are very friendly to/toward visitors.
• It was friendly of him to offer to help us.
b : having or showing the feelings that friends have for each other
• His friendly smile was reassuring.
• They maintained a friendly correspondence.
• They are friendly with their new neighbors. [=they are friends with their new neighbors]
2 : showing support or approval - usually + to or toward
• The boss is friendly to new ideas.
• He accuses his political opponents of being overly friendly toward special interests.
3 : giving help : making the process of doing something easier
• A friendly breeze helped us sail the boat into the harbor.
4 : cheerful or pleasant
• The friendly glow of the fire was welcome after our hike through the snowy mountains.
5 : not an enemy : not hostile
• That nation was not friendly (to us).
• friendly competitors
• They have enjoyed a friendly rivalry for many years. specifically; : involving or coming from your own military forces
• friendly planes
• Several soldiers were killed by friendly fire. [=they were accidentally killed by weapons fired from their own side]
6 a : easy to use or understand
• friendly computer software
• a customer-friendly telephone system
- see also user-friendly
b : not harmful
• environmentally friendly products = eco-friendly products [=products that do not harm the environment]
7 : done for enjoyment or exercise instead of for money or prizes
• a friendly game of tennis/poker
• a friendly preseason match
- friend·li·ness noun [noncount]
• She appreciated the friendliness of her neighbors.
• There was friendliness and warmth in his eyes.