antagonize
Americanverb (used with object)
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to make hostile or unfriendly; make an enemy or antagonist of.
His speech antagonized many voters.
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to act in opposition to; oppose.
verb (used without object)
verb
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to make hostile; annoy or irritate
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to act in opposition to or counteract
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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antagonizationnoun
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reantagonizeverb (used with object)
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antagonizableadjective
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unantagonizableadjective
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unantagonizedadjective
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unantagonizingadjective
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unantagonizinglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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antagonizesimple
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antagonizessimple
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have antagonizedperfect
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has antagonizedperfect
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am antagonizingprogressive
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are antagonizingprogressive
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is antagonizingprogressive
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have been antagonizingperfect progressive
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has been antagonizingperfect progressive
Past
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antagonizedsimple
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had antagonizedperfect
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was antagonizingprogressive
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were antagonizingprogressive
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had been antagonizingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of antagonize
First recorded in 1625–35, antagonize is from the Greek word antagōnízesthai to contend against, dispute with. See ant-, agonize
Explanation
To antagonize is to provoke someone to react angrily. If your mother tells you to stop antagonizing your brother, she's asking you to stop making him mad. Antagonize shares the same Greek roots with the word agony, so think about how much agony you cause your siblings when you tease and goad them into getting angry. Bugs Bunny is known to antagonize Elmer Fudd, who hunts but never does catch that wabbit. Actually Bugs antagonizes every cartoon character he comes into contact with! In English class, you'll often be asked to name the antagonist of a story or novel, the character who provokes the main character to act.
Vocabulary lists containing antagonize
Essential Academic Vocabulary for High School Students, List 1
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Essential Academic Vocabulary for Middle School Students, List 7
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ACT Vocabulary List
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Why would he show up and antagonize the justices?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 2, 2026
Of course, any American has the right to criticize judges but defendants usually don't do it because generally it's a bad idea to unnecessarily antagonize someone who has such power over your life.
From Salon ● Mar. 19, 2025
“Halfrican” explores the theme of “in between-ness” and encourages viewers to antagonize preconceived notions of identity.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 3, 2024
There is more willingness to embrace the youth vote, rather than antagonize it, as far as campaign strategy goes.
From Slate ● Aug. 19, 2024
They conducted their duties humbly and reticently, with a minimum of fuss, and went to great lengths not to antagonize anyone.
From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller
However, naltrexone, in both short- and long-acting forms, has the opposite pharmacology: it antagonizes mu receptors, occupying them without activating them.
From Scientific American ● Sep. 13, 2023
It all makes for a slight but satisfying Gru origin story, as the budding baddie tries to impress the Vicious 6 and antagonizes Arkin’s vengeful Wild Knuckles along the way.
From Washington Post ● Jun. 28, 2022
It doesn’t stop the smoldering resentment that I feel deep down when she antagonizes me.
From Slate ● Aug. 30, 2019
A young man from Harlem joins a Southern university’s marching band but antagonizes the musical director and its leader.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 19, 2019
Nothing worries and antagonizes a female bear more than to have people between her and her brood.
From "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson
Some also contend the deal has unnecessarily antagonized China, Australia’s main trading partner.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2025
When a person goes to the store and finds almost everything locked up behind plastic because of shoplifting, they may feel antagonized and triggered.
From Salon ● Aug. 19, 2025
Neither side was eager to prolong a battle that antagonized customers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 14, 2024
Yet this month, it antagonized someone much more powerful, and is already retreating just a touch.
From Slate ● May 21, 2024
Fyntan and Celine must have been alarmed by our misguided outpost in Kilanga, where we slept in their same house, antagonized their former friends, even turned their parrot out to nature’s maw.
From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver
She needs to maintain her popular tough stance on China without overly antagonizing Japan’s No. 2 customer for exports.
From Barron's ● Feb. 10, 2026
In it, more realities of the killing are clarified: Good wasn’t antagonizing the agent, and she didn’t turn her wheels to try to hit him, but instead to drive away slowly.
From Slate ● Jan. 13, 2026
Both leaders want to maintain their mutually beneficial energy relationship and show they can withstand U.S. pressure, without antagonizing Trump.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 5, 2025
On the other, you have Baier trying to show he's tough by antagonizing and talking over her.
From Salon ● Nov. 4, 2024
I am grateful when he pulls me toward a low table with pillows strewn haphazardly around it, but I can’t help giving Nicasia a small, antagonizing wave as I go.
From "The Cruel Prince" by Holly Black
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
