What is "frenemy"

n. 1 (context humorous English) Someone who pretends to be your friend, but is really your enemy. 2 (context humorous English) A fair-weather friend who is also a rival.

"Frenemy" (less commonly spelled "frienemy") is an oxymoron and a portmanteau of " friend" and " enemy" that can refer to either an enemy pretending to be a friend or someone who really is a friend but also a rival. The term is used to describe personal, geopolitical, and commercial relationships both among individuals and groups or institutions. The word has appeared in print as early as 1953 in an article titled "Howz about calling the Russians our Frienemies?" by the American gossip columnist Walter Winchel in the Nevada State Journal.