Fientlig

Fientlig is a Norwegian adjective meaning hostile or unfriendly. It describes attitudes, actions, or relations that show hostility toward a person, group, policy, or nation. The term is used in formal and public discourse, including discussions of international relations, security, politics, and in descriptive writing about interpersonal dynamics. A phrase such as fientlig innstilling (hostile attitude) or fientlige forhold (hostile conditions) reflects its typical usage.

Etymology and cognates: Fientlig is cognate with similar forms in other Scandinavian languages, such as Danish fientlig and Swedish fientlig, all sharing the general sense of hostility or antagonism. In Norwegian, the word has appeared in various spellings over time; in some historical or dialectal texts a variant such as fientlig may be encountered.

Usage notes: In modern Norwegian, alternative spellings may occur depending on historical sources or dialect. When writing for a contemporary audience, it is common to encounter the standard form fiendtlig in many editions of Bokmål and Nynorsk dictionaries, with fiendtlighet or fiendtlighet appearing as related nouns. The key sense remains the same: describing hostile attitudes, relations, or environments rather than neutral or friendly ones.

See also: fiende, fiendtlighet, fiendtlig innstilling, fiendtlighet.

In summary, fientlig is a historical or dialectal variant of a word that denotes hostility, with related forms and cognates across Scandinavian languages.