inhospitable

adjective

Simple meaning

Not offering shelter.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

ihnhahspuhtuhbuhl

Say the bold part a little louder.

US device voice

IPA pronunciation (US)

ɪnˈhɑspətəbəl

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

adjective

of a place
Not offering shelter; barren or forbidding. [from 17th c.]
Not hospitable
“They are extremely inhospitable these days.”
of a person
Not inclined to hospitality; unfriendly. [from 16th c.]

Word at a Glance

Difficulty: C2 · Proficient (estimated)
Frequency: Rare

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: (of a place) Not offering shelter; barren or forbidding. [from 17th c.]

Used this way, inhospitable is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.

Emotional tone: Neutral
Formality: Neutral
Intensity: Not strongly marked
How common: Moderately common
Connotation: No strong connotation
Usage feel: Neutral and straightforward

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

More ways to use inhospitable

“They are extremely inhospitable these days.”adjective
“The barren inhospitable desert.”adjective

Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

inhospitable regioninhospitable environmentinhospitable countryinhospitable landinhospitable climateinhospitable placeinhospitable terraininhospitable coast

Tap the highlighted word to open its own entry.

Use This Word

See how this word sounds in a real sentence.

Ask Vocabaura

Understand the word your way.

What Does It Mean Here?

Words can change meaning depending on context.

Use it yourself

Knowing “inhospitable” starts when you use it. Pick a next step, all free.

Know the meaning? Practice using it in a real situation, free, no credits.

Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.