Synonyms for Foe
foʊfoe

English Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. foe

   An enemy in private life is one who is moved by hostile feeling with active disposition to injure; but in military language all who fight on the opposite side are called enemies or collectively "the enemy," where no personal animosity may be implied; foe, which is rather a poetical and literary word, implies intensely hostile spirit and purpose. An antagonist is one who opposes and is opposed actively and with intensity of effort; an opponent, one in whom the attitude of resistance is the more prominent; a competitor, one who seeks the same object for which another is striving; antagonists in wrestling, competitors in business, opponents in debate may contend with no personal ill will; rivals in love, ambition, etc., rarely avoid inimical feeling. Adversary was formerly much used in the general sense of antagonist or opponent, but is now less common, and largely restricted to the hostile sense; an adversary is ordinarily one who not only opposes another in fact, but does so with hostile spirit, or perhaps out of pure malignity; as, the great Adversary. Compare synonyms for AMBITION.

   Synonyms:
   adversary, antagonist, competitor, enemy, opponent, rival

   Antonyms:
   abettor, accessory, accomplice, ally, friend, helper, supporter

   Preposition:
   He was the enemy of my friend in the contest.

Princeton's WordNetRate these synonyms:5.0 / 1 vote

1. enemy, foe, foeman, oppositionnoun

   an armed adversary (especially a member of an opposing military force)

   "a soldier must be prepared to kill his enemies"

   Synonyms:
   resistance, foeman, foe, oppositeness, opposite, enemy, confrontation, opposition, opponent

   Antonyms:
   ally, friend

2. foe, enemynoun

   a personal enemy

   "they had been political foes for years"

   Synonyms:
   opposition, foeman, foe, enemy

   Antonyms:
   ally, friend

Matched Categories

1. • Adversary
   • Military

Dictionary of English SynonymesRate these synonyms:5.0 / 1 vote

1. foenoun

   Synonyms:
   enemy, adversary, opponent, antagonist, FOEMAN

Synonyms, Antonyms & Associated WordsRate these synonyms:3.0 / 1 vote

1. foenoun

   Synonyms:
   antagonist, enemy, adversary, opponent

PPDB, the paraphrase databaseRate these paraphrases:5.0 / 2 votes

1. List of paraphrases for "foe":

   enemy, enemies, adversary, opponent

Suggested Resources

1. FOE

   What does FOE stand for? -- Explore the various meanings for the FOE acronym on the Abbreviations.com website.

How to pronounce Foe?

How to say Foe in sign language?

Words popularity by usage frequency

How to use Foe in a sentence?

1. Ron DeSantis:

   I've said previously that I would boycott [the Beijing Olympics]. I mean, I think it's a mistake. I mean, China is our number-one geopolitical foe. If you look at what they're doing, they're amassing huge amounts of power. And it's not just that they're building up their military, they are, they command huge influence within the United States.

2. Omar Khayyam:

   To friends and eke to foes true kindness show; No kindly heart unkindly deeds will do; Harshness will alienate a bosom friend. And kindness reconcile a deadly foe.

3. Paul Slovic:

   In the earliest days when we were evolving, there were plenty of dangers around, and those dangers were directly experienced, they were threats that we faced directly from threatening creatures or other tribes, it was all very direct and concrete. So these reactions based on feelings were very beneficial in helping us act quickly and to recognize friend from foe, it was us against them, like if you heard a sound in the bush that might be a dangerous animal, you didn't stop to reason about what was causing the sound -- was it really a dangerous animal ? -- you just accepted the fact that it sounded scary and you got out of there. You moved fast. So our survival depended on testing your emotions and behaving quickly, and acting according to those feelings.

4. Arabic Proverb:

   By six qualities may a fool be known: anger, without cause; speech, without profit; change, without motive; inquiry, without an object; trust in a stranger; and incapacity to discriminate between friend and foe.

5. Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall:

   Because he isn't arguing with allies about policy. He's questioning the fundamental value of NATO to the United States. This antagonistic approach is generating an unprecedented debate in Europe and in Canada about whether the United States should be treated as friend or foe.