inhospitable
Hostile to visitors
Inhospitable describes places or conditions hostile to comfort or survival: an inhospitable climate, inhospitable terrain.
The word applies equally to people who are unwelcoming or unfriendly to guests: The locals were inhospitable to outsiders.
An inhospitable environment—whether physical or social—offers no refuge or warmth.
Lacking warmth or appeal
- coldLow temperature state
- aloofEmotionally withdrawn, uninviting
- unfriendlyNot welcoming or warm
- standoffishUnfriendly in manner
unapproachable · forbidding · chilly · distant · uncongenial · ungracious · disagreeable · off-putting
Bleak and abandoned
- aridDevoid of water
- sterileFree from microorganisms
- lifelessDevoid of animation
- bleakDreary and without cheer
parched · wasteland · stark · infertile · unproductive · droughty · sere · fallow
Furthest from moderate
- punishingExtremely taxing or severe
- brutalSavagely harsh or severe
- mercilessShowing no clemency
- unforgivingShowing no leniency
relentless · grueling · rugged · inclement · severe · savage · forbidding · treacherous
Extremely cold
- arcticOf extreme northern cold
- polarOf extreme latitudes
- tundraFrigid treeless biome
- permafrostPerpetually frozen earth layer
subzero · glacier · frostbite · hypothermia · blizzard · windchill · icebound · snowbound
Hostile to guests
- unfriendlyNot welcoming or warm
- antagonisticActively opposed or hostile
- threateningExpressing intent to harm
- aggressiveHostile and confrontational
belligerent · adversarial · menacing · dangerous · combative · enemy territory · no-go zone · war zone
Unfit for dwelling
- toxicCapable of causing harm
- contaminatedMade impure by contact
- pollutedMade impure by contaminants
- radioactiveEmitting nuclear decay particles
noxious · deadly · abandoned · ruined · derelict · condemned · hazardous · unsanitary
uninviting
Lacking warmth or appeal
- coldLow temperature state
- aloofEmotionally withdrawn, uninviting
- unfriendlyNot welcoming or warm
standoffish · unapproachable · forbidding · chilly · distant · uncongenial · ungracious · disagreeable · off-putting · repellent
desolate
Bleak and abandoned
bleak · parched · wasteland · stark · infertile · unproductive · droughty · sere · fallow · uncultivable
extreme
Furthest from moderate
unforgiving · relentless · grueling · rugged · inclement · severe · savage · forbidding · treacherous · demanding
freezing
Extremely cold
permafrost · subzero · glacier · frostbite · hypothermia · blizzard · windchill · icebound · snowbound · bitter
unwelcoming
Hostile to guests
- unfriendlyNot welcoming or warm
- antagonisticActively opposed or hostile
- threateningExpressing intent to harm
aggressive · belligerent · adversarial · menacing · dangerous · combative · enemy territory · no-go zone · war zone · contested
unlivable
Unfit for dwelling
- toxicCapable of causing harm
- contaminatedMade impure by contact
- pollutedMade impure by contaminants
radioactive · noxious · deadly · abandoned · ruined · derelict · condemned · hazardous · unsanitary · squalid
- unfriendlyunfriendly, hostile, cold, cool, distant
- desertsand, sand dunes, sand dune, dune, dunes
- ratingsA rating, rating, one star, five stars, rating scale