as in aggressive
feeling or displaying eagerness to fight
clearly a writer with a chip on his shoulder, he's very agonistic even when stating indisputable facts
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of agonistic
Figure 1 Dominance hierarchy, agonistic behaviour, and physiological correlates in male captive kea at Willowbank Wildlife Reserve.
—
Grrlscientist,
Forbes.com,
25 Apr. 2026
Ong used the word agonistic; oral cultures are competitive.
—
Derek Thompson,
The Atlantic,
22 Feb. 2026
Many owners in the city feel stuck—the dog is trigger stacked from the urban environment and more likely to have agonistic reactions towards other dogs as a result.
—
Lucy Notarantonio,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 Sep. 2025
The kitchen remains bloody and agonistic, demanding the preparation of yet another family meal.
—
E. Tammy Kim,
The New Yorker,
14 July 2023
The agonistic, Faulknerian circumstances fill the house with awful silences.
—
Matthew Gavin Frank,
Harper's Magazine,
21 Dec. 2022
Finally, serial attacks may signal the agonistic potential of a family to other flock members.
—
Ncbi Rofl,
Discover Magazine,
11 July 2012
Grrlscientist,
Forbes.com,
25 Apr. 2026
Ong used the word agonistic; oral cultures are competitive.
—
Derek Thompson,
The Atlantic,
22 Feb. 2026
Many owners in the city feel stuck—the dog is trigger stacked from the urban environment and more likely to have agonistic reactions towards other dogs as a result.
—
Lucy Notarantonio,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 Sep. 2025
The kitchen remains bloody and agonistic, demanding the preparation of yet another family meal.
—
E. Tammy Kim,
The New Yorker,
14 July 2023
The agonistic, Faulknerian circumstances fill the house with awful silences.
—
Matthew Gavin Frank,
Harper's Magazine,
21 Dec. 2022
Finally, serial attacks may signal the agonistic potential of a family to other flock members.
—
Ncbi Rofl,
Discover Magazine,
11 July 2012
Recent Examples of Synonyms for agonistic
Adjective
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Grey-zone tactics refer to a range of aggressive tactics that vary from navy ship patrols to drone flights, but fall short of direct combat.
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That will be decided in the coming hours, as the Heat remains in aggressive pursuit of a trade for Antetokounmpo.
Adjective
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The interim deal is meant to stop fighting on all fronts, including in Lebanon where Israeli forces are battling the militant Hezbollah group.
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Despite an October ceasefire between Israel and the militant group Hamas, the enclave has seen near-daily Israeli attacks that have killed more than 1,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
Adjective
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The complaint alleges that school officials at Southern Hills Middle School failed to stop two years of antisemitic harassment against an eighth grader even after investigations concluded the student faced a hostile environment.
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Create an internal incident map and begin tagging hostile actions according to the DISARM taxonomy.
Adjective
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Republicans decry fraud while Democrats worry about hunger SNAP’s new rules remain contentious in Congress.
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This has proven to be a contentious change for myriad reasons.
Cite this Entry
“Agonistic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/agonistic. Accessed 25 Jun. 2026.
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