Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of agonistic 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 The Red Queen is about eternal recurrence of the agonistic dance between organisms. Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 21 Apr. 2011 Finally, serial attacks may signal the agonistic potential of a family to other flock members. Ncbi Rofl, Discover Magazine, 11 July 2012 Serial agonistic attacks by greylag goose families, Anser anser, against the same opponent. Ncbi Rofl, Discover Magazine, 11 July 2012 But the drive, the bile, the essential, agonistic spirit that powers the greatest rock music and serves as the source of its creativity will almost certainly be lacking. Damon Linker, The Week, 4 Sep. 2021 This agonistic version of the fact-value distinction leaves us with an impoverished ideal of social interaction. Peter E. Gordon, The New York Review of Books, 19 Nov. 2020
Recent Examples of Synonyms for agonistic
Adjective
  • The tree has aggressive roots that can upend lawn turf and crack pavement.
    Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 28 June 2025
  • But the company’s aggressive marketing triggered backlash.
    Queenie Wong, Los Angeles Times, 28 June 2025
Adjective
  • Previous negotiations have stalled over Hamas demands of guarantees that further negotiations would lead to the war's end, while Netanyahu has insisted Israel would resume fighting to ensure the militant group's destruction.
    WAFAA SHURAFA, arkansasonline.com, 6 July 2025
  • Western audiences absorb coverage of militant acts by a narrow segment of the Palestinian population while the intellect and insights of the rest are largely ignored by disinterested media institutions.
    Micah Danney, New York Daily News, 5 July 2025
Adjective
  • Guzman’s book was used as a common reader by several universities in 2024, reflecting ongoing concerns about the often hostile, partisan gaps that have roiled many campuses in recent years.
    Michael T. Nietzel, Forbes.com, 1 July 2025
  • In the five years since the events of Jurassic World Dominion, many of the dinosaurs and other formerly extinct creatures that were set free into the world have died off, unable to survive in the modern climate and otherwise hostile environments.
    Maureen Lee Lenker Published, EW.com, 30 June 2025
Adjective
  • One of the more contentious aspects of passing the bill was what to do with the cap on state and local tax deductions, or the SALT cap.
    Alicia Adamczyk, Fortune, 4 July 2025
  • Hearing From The Other Side Like most important aspects of life, there are two sides to this contentious coin.
    Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 4 July 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Podcast

Cite this Entry

“Agonistic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/agonistic. Accessed 11 Jul. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on agonistic

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!