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antagonistic
adjective
an·tag·o·nis·tic
(ˌ)an-ˌta-gə-ˈni-stik
: showing dislike or opposition : marked by or resulting from antagonism
an antagonistic relationship
factions antagonistic to one another
Synonyms
Examples of antagonistic in a Sentence
They found it impossible to deal with such antagonistic groups.
countries that have been antagonistic towards each other for centuries
Recent Examples on the Web
Congress is a lumbering beast of a place, deeply polarized and highly antagonistic, and Porter said there’s little desire by leaders of either major party to fix that.
—
Mark Z. Barabak, Los Angeles Times, 11 Aug. 2024
Analysts said Jalili's win would signal the possibility of an even more antagonistic turn in the Islamic Republic's foreign and domestic policy.
—
Parisa Hafezi, USA TODAY, 30 June 2024
Despite these changes to how Silicon Valley functions, U.S. policy remains in an antagonistic relationship with today’s tech giants.
—
Ramon Pacheco Pardo, Foreign Affairs, 7 May 2024
The claim from the Trump campaign adds to what had already been a deeply antagonistic relationship between Iran and the former president.
—
Kevin Collier, NBC News, 12 Aug. 2024
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'antagonistic.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
see antagonize
First Known Use
circa 1637, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near antagonistic
Cite this Entry
“Antagonistic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/antagonistic. Accessed 7 Sep. 2024.
Kids Definition
Medical Definition
antagonistic
adjective
an·tag·o·nis·tic
(ˌ)an-ˌtag-ə-ˈnis-tik
1
: characterized by or resulting from antagonism
antagonistic antibiotics
2
: relating to or being muscles that are antagonists
skeletal muscles arranged in antagonistic pairs
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