not-so-friendly
UK[ˌnɒt səʊ ˈfrendli]US[ˌnɑːt soʊ ˈfrendli]
adj
used to describe something or someone that is somewhat unfriendly or not entirely amicable.
Etymology
the word is a modern english compound, a grammaticalized phrase turned into a fixed adjective. the adverb "not" derives from old english "nāwiht", meaning "nothing", while "so" comes from old english "swā", meaning "in this way". "friendly" originates from old english "frēondlīc", meaning "characteristic of a friend". the construction "not so" as a moderating phrase has been used since middle english. the specific hyphenated form "not-so-friendly" is a 20th-century innovation, exemplifying the english language's flexibility in creating descriptive, often slightly euphemistic, compound modifiers by fossilizing a common syntactic pattern.
Analysis
this is a hyphenated compound adjective formed from the adverb phrase "not so" and the adjective "friendly". it functions as a single lexical unit.
Examples
the company has a not-so-friendly policy regarding refunds.
he gave me a not-so-friendly warning about being late again.
despite their not-so-friendly exterior, the locals were actually quite helpful.