inimical
/ɪˈnɪ.mɪ.kəl/adjective
inimical is spelled I-N-I-M-I-C-A-L: 8 letters and 4 syllables. It appears about once in every 7 million words in written English, the 77,666th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, inimical means “Harmful in effect” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in inimical?
| Letters | 8: I-N-I-M-I-C-A-L |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 7 million words; the 77,666th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is inimical?
Inimical appears about once in every 7 million words in written English, the 77,666th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce inimical?
- /ɪˈnɪ.mɪ.kəl/
Inimical has 4 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-inimical.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of inimical
- more inimical comparative
- most inimical superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does inimical mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Harmful in effect.
- 2
Unfriendly, hostile.
Her inimical attitude precludes romance.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Inimical in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | nuisible , hostile |
| German | schädlich , feindlich, feindselig, unfreundlich |
| Spanish | nocivo, adverso , hostil, inimicísimo (disused), enemigo |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does inimical come from?
From Late Latin inimīcālis (“hostile”), from inimīcus (“enemy”) (from in- (“not”) + amīcus (“friend”)) + -ālis.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).