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nurture hostility

[ˈnɜːr.tʃər ˈhɒs.tɪl.ə.ti]
verb phrase
alimentar hostilidade
1. to cultivate, foster, or encourage hostile feelings, attitudes, or relationships; to allow negative emotions to develop and grow stronger
The ongoing disputes between the neighbors continued to nurture hostility.
As disputas contínuas entre os vizinhos continuavam a alimentar a hostilidade.
2. to deliberately maintain or strengthen enmity and antagonism
Political propaganda can nurture hostility between different groups.
A propaganda política pode alimentar a hostilidade entre diferentes grupos.
Synonyms
foster hostilitycultivate enmitybreed antagonismpromote ill-willencourage animosity
Antonyms
promote peaceencourage reconciliationbuild goodwillfoster harmonycultivate understanding

Regional Variations

General Brazilian
alimentar hostilidade
Standard usage across Brazil
Rio de Janeiro
alimentar hostilidade / cultivar inimizade
Both terms commonly used in Rio
São Paulo
alimentar hostilidade / manter a hostilidade
Formal business and political contexts
Portugal
alimentar hostilidade / cultivar hostilidade
Both terms acceptable; slightly more formal tone in Portugal

Related Idioms & Phrases

add fuel to the fire
stir up trouble
sow discord
keep the pot boiling
add oil to the flames
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