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
- antagonizable adjective
- antagonization noun
- reantagonize verb (used with object)
- unantagonizable adjective
- unantagonized adjective
- unantagonizing adjective
- unantagonizingly adverb
Etymology
Origin of antagonize
First recorded in 1625–35, antagonize is from the Greek word antagōnízesthai to contend against, dispute with. See ant-, agonize
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.
Zohran Mamdani, who just swept to victory in the New York City mayoral race, already faces his next big challenge: making the right hires without alienating loyalists or further antagonizing skeptics.
Some also contend the deal has unnecessarily antagonized China, Australia’s main trading partner.
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
At the heart of the case was the late Frank Carson, a veteran Modesto defense attorney with a pugilistic style who delighted in antagonizing police and prosecutors.
From Los Angeles Times
On the other, you have Baier trying to show he's tough by antagonizing and talking over her.
From Salon
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.
