neighbourly

Everyday

1. Friendly and helpful in the way a good neighbour is. tree →
2. (formal) To do with neighbours: neighbourly relations. tree →

In the lessons

In everyday life «a neighbourly thing to do» is helping the people next door, for example taking in their parcels or checking on an elderly neighbour. In stories it shows a kind community. Phrases: neighbourly help, a neighbourly chat, be neighbourly.

Examples

• It was very neighbourly of you to feed our cat. tree →
• We had a neighbourly chat over the fence. tree →
• Sharing tomatoes from the garden is a neighbourly thing to do. tree →
• Our street has a neighbourly feeling. tree →
• They weren't very neighbourly; they never said hello. tree →
• Being neighbourly means looking out for each other. tree →
• You always were a neighbourly lad, Donald. tree →

Note

Adjective, though it ends in -ly (like friendly, lovely), so it is not an adverb: «He was neighbourly», not «He acted neighbourly» (better: «in a neighbourly way»). UK/Aus/NZ spelling: neighbour; US: neighbor.