Meaning & use
hospitable
Last updated
Meanings
adjectivecomparable
Friendly and generous to guests or visitors, making them feel welcome.
Grammar: Gradable; can be used with 'very' or in comparisons: 'a very hospitable family'.
Patterns
- hospitable to someone
- hospitable toward someone
- a hospitable host
The local people were incredibly hospitable and invited us to dinner.
She is always hospitable to new colleagues.
They are known for being hospitable to strangers.
adjectivecomparabletechnical
(Of an environment or climate) suitable for living things; providing good conditions.
Grammar: Used mainly in scientific or formal contexts: 'a hospitable environment for plants'.
Patterns
- hospitable to life
- hospitable climate
- hospitable environment
The planet's surface is not hospitable to human life.
These plants need a hospitable climate to grow.
The region has a hospitable environment for many species.
Word forms
| comparative | more hospitable |
|---|---|
| superlative | most hospitable |
Common combinations
- hospitable host
- Our hospitable host made sure everyone had a drink.
- hospitable to strangers
- The villagers were hospitable to strangers.
- hospitable climate
- The island has a hospitable climate for farming.
- warm and hospitable
- The atmosphere was warm and hospitable.
Synonyms and how they differ
- welcoming
- Welcoming emphasizes making someone feel happy to arrive, while hospitable stresses generous treatment of guests.
- friendly
- Friendly is a general word for kind behavior; hospitable is specifically about how you treat guests.
- cordial
- Cordial is more formal and often describes a polite but less warm welcome.
Opposites
Word family
- hospitality noun
- The quality of being hospitable; friendly welcome and treatment of guests.
- inhospitable adjective
- Not friendly to guests; (of a place) harsh and difficult to live in.
- hospitably adverb
- In a friendly and generous way toward guests.
Commonly confused: hospitable or hospital?
hospitable vs hospital
A hospital is a place for medical care; hospitable means friendly to guests.
Practice
Choose the correct preposition: The family was very hospitable ___ us.
Choose one answer.
Hospitable is followed by 'to' or 'toward' when indicating the people who receive the welcome. The other prepositions do not fit this pattern.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “hospitable”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.