antipathetic

adjective

an·​ti·​pa·​thet·​ic ˌan-ti-pə-ˈthe-tik How to pronounce antipathetic (audio)
(ˌ)an-ˌti-pə-
1
: having a natural aversion
also : not sympathetic : hostile
a government antipathetic to democracy
2
: arousing antipathy
antipathetically adverb

Examples of antipathetic in a Sentence

a series of adventure books that turned boys who had been antipathetic to reading into avid readers the mayor has always had an openly antipathetic relationship with the local press
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Not only is her singing raucous but her characterization is off-putting, even antipathetic. Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2024 Yet despite highly antipathetic rhetoric from progressive European lawmakers, SUV popularity among the continent’s citizens is only rising. Ryan Hogg, Fortune Europe, 5 Feb. 2024 Presuming that In-Yun surpasses traditional Western romance, Song goes for antipathetic lovelessness. Armond White, National Review, 8 Dec. 2023 But Fincher’s antipathetic TV-commercial motifs are not well served by The Smiths catalogue — the most droll, unabashed petition for empathy of the past half century. Armond White, National Review, 17 Nov. 2023 The United Nations, a flawed and often toothless organization, nonetheless represents international ideals antipathetic to the ongoing atrocity of human bondage. Philip Kennicott, Washington Post, 23 Mar. 2023 Given the number of moving parts, not least exactly how much a president antipathetic to fracking could actually do, this seems a minimal risk for now. Liam Denning | Bloomberg, Washington Post, 7 Nov. 2019 Pakistan is a nuclear state, an antipathetic but important U.S. ally and one of the largest Muslim-majority countries in the world. Russell Goldman, The Seattle Times, 24 July 2018 Even in this antipathetic context, Aldrich manages to find room for his characteristic intimations of breakdown and approaching chaos. Patrick Friel, Chicago Reader, 26 June 2018

Word History

First Known Use

1640, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of antipathetic was in 1640

Dictionary Entries Near antipathetic

Cite this Entry

“Antipathetic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/antipathetic. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.

Medical Definition

antipathetic

adjective
an·​ti·​pa·​thet·​ic ˌant-i-pə-ˈthet-ik How to pronounce antipathetic (audio)
1
: having a natural opposition to something
an immune response which can be both antipathetic to the tumour … and protectiveNature
2
: inducing or characterized by antipathy
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!