Enemy

An enemy or foe is a relativist term for an entity, whether an individual or a group, that is seen as forcefully adverse or threatening. The concept of an enemy has been observed to be "basic for both individuals and communities". The term "enemy" serves the social function of designating a particular entity as a threat, thereby invoking an intense emotional response to that entity. The state of being or having an enemy is enmity.

Read more about Enemy:  Terms, Enemies As A Function of Social Science, Enemies in Literature, Treatment of Enemies

Famous quotes containing the word enemy:

    With drums and guns, and guns and drums
    The enemy nearly slew ye,
    My darling dear, you look so queer,
    Och, Johnny, I hardly knew ye!
    Unknown. Johnny, I Hardly Knew Ye (l. Chorus.)

    The great enemy of clear language is insincerity. When there is a gap between one’s real and one’s declared aims, one turns as it were instinctively to long words and exhausted idioms, like a cuttlefish squirting out ink.
    George Orwell (1903–1950)

    If you can hold your present position, we shall “hive” the enemy yet.
    Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865)