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
Synonyms
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
Bev is determined to live up to the family’s legacy, whatever that means, and has an antagonistic relationship with Delphine (Tisha Campbell), the projects’ scheming president.
—
Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Apr. 2024
Security Concerns Backers of the law say there are legitimate reasons to be concerned about students coming from countries whose governments are antagonistic to the US.
—Michael Smith, Fortune, 27 Feb. 2024
No matter how difficult to resolve, finding a path to address them, especially if it can be done in a manner that is least disruptive or antagonistic to those involved, may provide better results for all.
—Martin Shenkman, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2024
The demonstration in Fort Lauderdale was emblematic of the kind of congressman Gaetz would be: showy, glib, and relentlessly antagonistic to institutional norms.
—Dexter Filkins, The New Yorker, 19 Feb. 2024
These were my favorite stories: stories of people and their often antagonistic relationship with forces larger than themselves.
—Lizz Schumer, Peoplemag, 1 Apr. 2024
The very end of Part Two hints at potentially promising deviation from the books, showing a betrayed-looking Chani abandoning Paul’s army, setting up a potentially more antagonistic relationship between the lovers in Part Three.
—James Hibberd, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Mar. 2024
Kent Schaffer, who worked as a special prosecutor on the case until February and had tried to broker a similar settlement, said insufficient resources and antagonistic witnesses could have hindered the prosecutors’ case.
—Juan Lozano, Fortune, 26 Mar. 2024
In addition to her recurring role on Melrose Place (1992–1999) as antagonistic neurosurgeon Dr. Irene Shulman, Young has guest starred on Bones, This Is Us, and made a brief appearance in the Marvel superhero threequel Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023).
—Andrew Walsh, EW.com, 23 Mar. 2024
Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Apr. 2024
Security Concerns Backers of the law say there are legitimate reasons to be concerned about students coming from countries whose governments are antagonistic to the US.
—Michael Smith, Fortune, 27 Feb. 2024
No matter how difficult to resolve, finding a path to address them, especially if it can be done in a manner that is least disruptive or antagonistic to those involved, may provide better results for all.
—Martin Shenkman, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2024
The demonstration in Fort Lauderdale was emblematic of the kind of congressman Gaetz would be: showy, glib, and relentlessly antagonistic to institutional norms.
—Dexter Filkins, The New Yorker, 19 Feb. 2024
These were my favorite stories: stories of people and their often antagonistic relationship with forces larger than themselves.
—Lizz Schumer, Peoplemag, 1 Apr. 2024
The very end of Part Two hints at potentially promising deviation from the books, showing a betrayed-looking Chani abandoning Paul’s army, setting up a potentially more antagonistic relationship between the lovers in Part Three.
—James Hibberd, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Mar. 2024
Kent Schaffer, who worked as a special prosecutor on the case until February and had tried to broker a similar settlement, said insufficient resources and antagonistic witnesses could have hindered the prosecutors’ case.
—Juan Lozano, Fortune, 26 Mar. 2024
In addition to her recurring role on Melrose Place (1992–1999) as antagonistic neurosurgeon Dr. Irene Shulman, Young has guest starred on Bones, This Is Us, and made a brief appearance in the Marvel superhero threequel Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023).
—Andrew Walsh, EW.com, 23 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'antagonistic.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near antagonistic
Cite this Entry
“Antagonistic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/antagonistic. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.
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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
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