antagonize
Americanverb (used with object)
-
antagonizes,
present (3rd person singular)
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antagonized,
past participle, past
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antagonizing
present participle
-
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)
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antagonizes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
antagonized,
past participle, past
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antagonizing
present participle
verb
-
to make hostile; annoy or irritate
-
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:
The former official asked not to be named because they work in public health and don’t want to antagonize the current administration.
From Salon ● Apr. 4, 2026
Why would he show up and antagonize the justices?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 2, 2026
The crowd at Pupusas and Punchlines is not one to dismiss or antagonize comics that are not Latinx.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2025
“When we are fighting for our survival, we can’t afford to antagonize either Biden or Trump,” Mr. Merezhko said.
From New York Times ● Apr. 19, 2024
“There’s no need to antagonize her,” Robert says softly.
From "Divergent" by Veronica Roth
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
I enjoy art that antagonizes you, and then, slowly, in an emotional striptease, reveals a gooey, loving center.
From New York Times ● Mar. 17, 2022
It doesn’t stop the smoldering resentment that I feel deep down when she antagonizes me.
From Slate ● Aug. 30, 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
John Coffee, a law professor at Columbia Law School, said Costello "greatly antagonized" Merchan.
From Salon ● May 21, 2024
Yet this month, it antagonized someone much more powerful, and is already retreating just a touch.
From Slate ● May 21, 2024
Instead, he says, the experiment merely shows that, when antagonized the snakes are likely to put up a more spirited defense.
From Science Magazine ● Apr. 3, 2024
“They also debased their currency, undercut the universality of the iron law, and antagonized the Adem.”
From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss
It didn’t hurt that Smith gave the performance of a lifetime, putting her heart and soul into the melodramatic contradictions of the character, antagonizing Arnold one second and swooning over him the next.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026
Bargatze catapulted to mainstream status after portraying a silly version of the famously reprehensible though widely respected George Washington on “SNL” without antagonizing anyone, least of all Washington.
From Salon ● Sep. 8, 2026
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
Libya—Mu’ammar Gadhafi was attempting to ingratiate himself with the United States and couldn’t take the chance of antagonizing President Bush.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
