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

antagonistically

(ˌ)an-ˌta-gə-ˈni-sti-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

Synonyms of antagonistic

• hostile
• negative

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

Some use to it describe the most boisterous group of antagonistic influencers. — Rob Picheta, CNN Money, 23 June 2026

Amid an increasingly complex and antagonistic immigration system, his story is one of rare success. — Tess Kenny, Chicago Tribune, 21 June 2026

The cowgirl character teams with old friend Woody (Tom Hanks) and Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) to battle a tech takeover of their home from an antagonistic frog tablet named Lilypad (Greta Lee). — Brian Truitt, USA Today, 17 June 2026

And given this context, Anthropic’s actions are viewed by many within Washington as not simply unwise, but actively antagonistic. — Tina Nguyen, The Verge, 17 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

see antagonize

First Known Use

circa 1637, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for antagonistic

• anachronistic
• animalistic
• antiphlogistic
• behavioristic
• cannibalistic
• capitalistic
• characteristic
• collectivistic
• deterministic
• ethnolinguistic
• expressionistic
• idealistic

Kids Definition

antagonistic

adjective

an·​tag·​o·​nis·​tic (ˌ)an-ˌtag-ə-ˈnis-tik 

: showing antagonism

antagonistically

-ti-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

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

antagonistically

-ti-k(ə-)lē 

adverb