Sign In Get Started
Prepositions after adjectives

Inimical with prepositions

Inimical is most commonly followed by to. Other prepositions are uncommon or used differently.

Quick answer

Which preposition follows inimical?

The standard expression is inimical to, meaning harmful or unfriendly to something. Inimical towards appears occasionally but is less standard. Inimical for and inimical with are generally not idiomatic complements.

These policies are inimical to economic growth.
The climate is inimical to tropical plants.
His attitude seemed inimical towards reform.

Choose the pattern by meaning

These forms are not interchangeable. Choose the construction by meaning, not by which preposition appears most often.

1
inimical to + noun

Showing harm or opposition

Use inimical to for things that damage, oppose, or are unfriendly to something.

The noise is inimical to concentration.
Corruption is inimical to public trust.
2
inimical towards + person/idea

Describing hostile attitude

Inimical towards is less common but may appear when stressing attitude toward someone or something.

He was inimical towards outside criticism.
The group remained inimical towards compromise.

See the difference in context

The same subject can take different constructions because each sentence answers a different question.

Construction
Example
Meaning
inimical to
The law is inimical to free speech.
Standard and widely accepted pattern.
inimical towards
She sounded inimical towards new proposals.
Possible but less standard than inimical to.
inimical for
'Inimical for' is not an idiomatic complement pattern.
Use inimical to instead.
inimical with
'Inimical with' is generally nonstandard.
Use inimical to for harmful or hostile relationships.

Common mistakes

Some combinations appear in real text but do not mean what learners often assume.

Using for after inimical

For is not normally used as the complement.

✕ The rule is inimical for innovation. ✓ The rule is inimical to innovation.

Using with after inimical

With does not form a standard pattern with inimical.

✕ His views are inimical with democracy. ✓ His views are inimical to democracy.

Choosing towards when to is simpler

Towards is possible in some contexts, but to is the standard choice.

✕ The policy is inimical towards growth. ✓ The policy is inimical to growth.

Quick practice

Choose the expression that matches the intended meaning.

1. These conditions are inimical ___ recovery.
2. The manager seemed inimical ___ criticism.
3. Choose the standard phrase.

Check your sentence in context

Paste the complete sentence below. Linguix checks the preposition together with grammar, spelling, punctuation, and style.

Free to try · No signup required

Frequently asked questions

What does 'inimical to' mean?

It means harmful, hostile, or unfriendly to something.

Is 'inimical towards' wrong?

Not always, but it is less standard than inimical to and is mainly used for attitudes.

Can I use 'inimical with'?

No. Standard English uses inimical to instead.

ideal-for-in-as-at, from "identical to" or "identical with"? identifiable by, as, with, in or to? "idle for" or "idle in"? ignorant of, about, to, in or on? "illegal in" or "illegal for"? illustrative of, in, rather or for? ill with, in, for, at or of? "immune to" or "immune from"? "impatient with" or "impatient for"? "imperative for" or "imperative to"? impervious to, from or in?

Write with confidence in Linguix

Create a free account to check complete texts, apply suggestions, and save your documents.

Create a free account