different between hostility vs warpath

English

Etymology

From Middle English hostilitie, hostilite, from Old French hostilité, from Latin host?lit?s.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /h??st?l?ti/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /h??st?l?ti/
• Rhymes: -?l?ti

Noun

hostility (countable and uncountable, plural hostilities)

1. (uncountable) The state of being hostile.
   • 2013 September 28, Kenan Malik, "London Is Special, but Not That Special," New York Times (retrieved 28 September 2013):

     The polarization of wealth and the polarization of attitudes to diversity are not unrelated. A key reason for popular hostility to immigrants is that to many people, particularly within working-class communities, immigration has become a symbol of unacceptable change.

2. (countable) A hostile action, especially a military action. See hostilities for specific plural definition.

Synonyms

• (state of being hostile): antagonism, opposition, enmity, animosity, antipathy, hatred, unfriendliness
• (military action): war, fighting, combat

Antonyms

• (state of being hostile): amity, friendliness
• (military action): peace

Related terms

• hostile

Translations

English

Etymology

war +? path

Noun

warpath (plural warpaths)

1. (historical) The route taken by a party of Native Americans going on a warlike expedition.
   • 1856, Henry R. Schoolcraft, The Myth of Hiawatha, and Other Oral Legends

     He went often to visit the spot where the women had buried her, and sat musing there, when, it was thought, by some of his friends, he would have done better to try to amuse himself in the chase, or by diverting his thoughts in the war-path.

2. (figuratively) A course of action that leads to battle or hostility.

Usage notes

This word is most often used in the phrase “on the warpath”.

Translations