vijandig

Vijandig is a Dutch adjective meaning hostile or antagonistic. It describes attitudes, actions or environments marked by hostility, opposition or aggressiveness. A vijandige houding is a hostile attitude; vijandige retoriek refers to antagonistic rhetoric. The term can modify people, groups, or situations, for example in phrases like een vijandige kantooromgeving or vijandige tegenstellingen tussen partijen. It tends to imply more active hostility than merely being onvriendelijk.

Etymology and formation: Vijandig is formed from the noun vijand, meaning enemy, with the suffix -ig, which creates adjectives that express a characteristic. The root vijand derives from older Dutch and Germanic sources connected to the concept of an opponent or enemy. The word has been part of Dutch usage since the Middle Ages and remains common in both formal and informal language.

Usage contexts: In diplomacy or politics, vijandig can describe stances or rhetoric between states, such as vijandige standpunten or vijandige toonvoering. In interpersonal communication, it conveys an aggressive or openly hostile demeanor, though it can be strong and should be distinguished from milder terms like onvriendelijk or koel depending on intensity.

Translations and related terms: In English, vijandig translates as hostile, antagonistic, or aggressive, depending on context. Related Dutch terms include vijand (enemy) and vijandigheid (hostility). The concept encompasses both deliberate antagonism and environments that feel unfriendly or threatening.

See also: vijand, onvriendelijk, agressief.