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Firm vs Friendly - What's the difference?

firm | friendly |

As nouns the difference between firm and friendly

is that firm is (uk|business) a business partnership; the name under which it trades while friendly is (sports) a game which is of no consequence in terms of ranking, betting etc.

As adjectives the difference between firm and friendly

is that firm is steadfast, secure, hard (in position) while friendly is generally warm, approachable and easy to relate with in character.

As a verb firm

is to make firm or strong; fix securely.

As an adverb friendly is

in a friendly manner, like a friend.

firm

English

Etymology 1

From (etyl) .

Noun

(en noun)
  • (UK, business) A business partnership; the name under which it trades.
  • (business, economics) A business enterprise, however organized.
  • * {{quote-magazine, date=2013-06-01, volume=407, issue=8838, page=71, magazine=(The Economist)
    • , title= End of the peer show , passage=Finance is seldom romantic. But the idea of peer-to-peer lending comes close. This is an industry that brings together individual savers and lenders on online platforms.
  • (slang) A criminal gang.

    • Etymology 2

    (etyl) ferme, from (etyl) ferme, from (etyl) .

    Adjective

    (er)
  • steadfast, secure, hard (in position)
  • * It's good to have a firm grip when shaking hands.
  • fixed (in opinion)
    • a firm''' believer; a '''firm''' friend; a '''firm adherent
  • * He was firm that selling his company would a good choice and didn't let anyone talk him out of it.
  • * {{quote-news
    • , year=2012 , date=May 9 , author=John Percy , title=Birmingham City 2 Blackpool 2 (2-3 on agg): match report , work=the Telegraph citation , page= , passage=With such constant off-field turmoil Hughton’s work has been remarkable and this may have been his last game in charge. West Bromwich Albion, searching for a replacement for Roy Hodgson, are firm admirers.}}
  • solid, rigid (material state)
    • firm''' flesh; '''firm''' muscles, '''firm''' wood; '''firm land (i.e. not soft and marshy)
    Derived terms
    * firm up * firmish * firmly * firmness * firmware

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To make firm or strong; fix securely.
  • To make compact or resistant to pressure; solidify.
  • To become firm; stabilise.
  • To improve after decline.
  • Aust. To shorten (of betting odds).

    • Anagrams

    * * ----

    friendly

    English

    Adjective

  • Generally warm, approachable and easy to relate with in character.
    • Your cat seems very friendly .
  • *
    • They stayed together during three dances, went out on to the terrace, explored wherever they were permitted to explore, paid two visits to the buffet, and enjoyed themselves much in the same way as if they had been school-children surreptitiously breaking loose from an assembly of grown-ups. The boy became volubly friendly and bubbling over with unexpected humour and high spirits.
  • Inviting, characteristic of friendliness.
    • He gave a friendly smile.
  • Having an easy relationship with something, as in user-friendly etc.
  • Without any hostility.
    • a friendly competition
    a friendly power or state
  • * (1800-1859)
    • in friendly relations with his moderate opponents
  • Promoting the good of any person; favourable; propitious.
    • a friendly breeze or gale
  • * (Joseph Addison) (1672-1719)
    • On the first friendly bank he throws him down.
  • (military) Of or pertaining to friendlies (friendly noun sense 2, below). Also applied to other bipolar confrontations, such as team sports
    • The soldier was killed by friendly fire.
  • *
  • *
  • (number theory) Being or relating to two or more natural numbers with a common abundancy.
    • friendly''' numbers;  '''friendly''' pairs;  '''friendly n-tuples

    Antonyms

    * unfriendly * hostile

    Derived terms

    * family friendly * friendliness * friendly fire * Friendly Islands * radio-friendly * user-friendly

    Adverb

    (en adverb)
  • In a friendly manner, like a friend.
  • * 1646 , (Thomas Browne), Pseudodoxia Epidemica :
    • And we cannot doubt, our Brothers in Physick [...] will friendly accept, if not countenance our endeavours.

    Synonyms

    * amicably, friendlily

    Noun

    (friendlies)
  • (sports) A game which is of no consequence in terms of ranking, betting etc.
    • ''Even as friendlies , derbies often arouse strong emotions
  • A person or entity on the same side of a conflict.
  • * 2008 , Dennis Wengert, A Very Healthy Insanity (page 44)
    • You see, the mission of almost every teenage girl on the loose is to first identify the targets, just like a war. These include the primary objective (the boy), the enemy (other girls), the friendlies (sympathetic girl friends and the boy's family), and unfriendlies (other boys).