antipathy

noun an·tip·a·thy \ an-ˈti-pə-thē \

|Updated on: 3 Aug 2018

Tip: Synonym Guide

Editor's Note: Did You Know?

Definition of antipathy

plural antipathies

1 : a strong feeling of dislike

an antipathy to taxes

a deep antipathy between the groups

2 : something disliked : an object of aversion

… perhaps his greatest antipathies were cabs, old women, doors that would not shut …
—Charles Dickens

3 obsolete : opposition in feeling

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Recent Examples of antipathy from the Web

The antipathy between Trump and segments of the British public started during the 2016 presidential campaign, when Trump called for a temporary ban on Muslims entering the United States.

— Washington Post, "Trump will get red carpet treatment in UK — and big protests," 11 July 2018
The antipathy between Trump and segments of the British public started during the 2016 presidential campaign, when Trump called for a temporary ban on Muslims entering the United States.

— BostonGlobe.com, "President Trump will get red carpet treatment in UK — and big protests," 11 July 2018
Trump and his closest advisers shared Netanyahu’s antipathy toward Obama.

— adam entous, The New Yorker, "Donald Trump’s New World Order," 11 June 2018
All of these forces, whether on the socialist Left or the anti-immigrant Right, accuse the liberal order of failing to represent the people and share an antipathy toward European and Western international institutions.

— peter slezkine, The New Republic, "What Happened to the “Free World”?," 22 May 2018
There’s something really specific about being a Hoover and the pejorative term that was multigenerationally tethered to economic hard times, misery and antipathy for the struggles of ordinary people.

— New York Times, "Margaret Hoover and John Avlon on their Post-Partisan Marriage," 11 July 2018
Trump also heard from critics of Kavanaugh, many of whom cited his work in the George W. Bush administration and played on the president's antipathy to the Bush family.

— david jackson, USA TODAY, "How a behind-the-scenes battle of Trump advisers ended with Kavanaugh as Supreme Court pick," 10 July 2018
His screenplay tells the story of an Oakland man (Diggs) and his white best friend (Rafael Casal) who share an upbringing in hip-hop culture, and an antipathy to the gentrification that’s overrunning and altering their neighborhood.

— gary thompson, Philly.com, "Art in melting pot America: What's appropriation and what's appropriate? New movies explore," 6 July 2018
One question that lingered over the case was whether the government’s case was driven by the president’s antipathy to CNN, which is owned by Time Warner.

— alan murray, Fortune, "AT&T Time Warner, Fed Interest Rate, Toyota Grab: CEO Daily for June 13, 2018," 13 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'antipathy.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Did You Know?

When the nation of Yugoslavia was created in 1945, it combined a number of ethnic groups with a history of violent antipathy toward each other. In 1991–92 four regions of the country announced that they would become independent nations; a bloody six-year war followed, fueled by these ancient and powerful antipathies. The American Civil War similarly resulted from antipathy between the North and the South. But in the U.S.'s relations with its next-door neighbors, it's been a long time since emotions have gotten much stronger than annoyance.

Origin and Etymology of antipathy

Latin antipathia, from Greek antipatheia, from antipathēs of opposite feelings, from anti- + pathos experience — more at pathos

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1592

in the meaning defined at sense 3

See Words from the same year

antipathy Synonyms

Synonym Discussion of antipathy

enmity, hostility, antipathy, antagonism, animosity, rancor, animus mean deep-seated dislike or ill will. enmity suggests positive hatred which may be open or concealed.

- an unspoken enmity

hostility suggests an enmity showing itself in attacks or aggression.

- hostility between the two nations

antipathy and antagonism imply a natural or logical basis for one's hatred or dislike, antipathy suggesting repugnance, a desire to avoid or reject, and antagonism suggesting a clash of temperaments leading readily to hostility.