inimical

<font size="-1" face="arial, helvetica"> <p> <strong> <font color="#000066">Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 3, 2021 is:</font> </strong> </p> <p> <strong>inimical</strong> &#149; \ih-NIM-ih-kul\&nbsp; &#149; <em>adjective</em><br /> <p><strong>1 :</strong> being <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/adverse">adverse</a> often by reason of hostility or malevolence</p> <p><strong>2 a :</strong> having the disposition of an enemy <strong>:</strong> <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hostile">hostile</a></p> <p><strong>b :</strong> reflecting or indicating hostility <strong>:</strong> <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unfriendly">unfriendly</a></p> </p> <p> <strong>Examples:</strong><br /> <p>"We've walked around the beautiful island as the often <em>inimical</em> sea sprayed the granite rocks and we've enjoyed an ice cream or a Devonshire tea and walked back, windswept and happy." — Peter Goers, <em>The Advertiser</em> (Australia), 15 May 2021</p> <p>"For the first time in months, the outside wasn't <em>inimical</em> and I didn't have to don protective clothing to be in it; I could walk straight out, as I was, and feel comfortable and relaxed." — <a href="https://www.newstatesman.com/joys-of-spring-arrival-weather">Melissa Harrison, <em>The New Statesman</em>, 3 Mar. 2021</a></p> </p> <p> <strong>Did you know?</strong><br /> <p>In <em>inimical</em>, one finds both a friend and an enemy. The word descends from Latin <em>inimicus</em>, which combines <em>amicus</em>, meaning "friend," with the negative prefix <em>in-</em>, meaning "not." In current English, <em>inimical</em> rarely describes a person, however. Instead, it is generally used to describe forces, concepts, or situations that are in some way harmful or hostile. For example, high inflation may be called "inimical" to economic growth. <em>Inimicus</em> is also an ancestor of <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/enemy"><em