1
as in enemy
one that is hostile toward another
please name the novel's hero and his antagonist
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in opponent
one that takes a position opposite another in a competition or conflict
his antagonist in the boxing match
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of antagonist
The June 3 episode of Simmons’ video pod has put up some of the biggest numbers for his YouTube channel in recent months, as 270,158 users thus far have tuned in to watch the host quash a beef with Meadowlark Media star (and Mark Cuban antagonist) Pablo Torre.
—
Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 14 Oct. 2025
Iran, which has sought to portray itself as a key player in the Palestinian cause as Israel's primary antagonist, will be absent from the summit in Egypt, where Trump is now headed, despite receiving an invitation.
—Shane Croucher, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 Oct. 2025
Kirk was seen as a particularly effective antagonist to campus leftism and to the progressive project as a whole.
—Jeremy Lott, The Washington Examiner, 10 Oct. 2025
Bronstein, her every utterance brimming with deadpan passive-aggression, was shrewd to cast herself as one of Linda’s many antagonists.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 9 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for antagonist
Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 14 Oct. 2025
Iran, which has sought to portray itself as a key player in the Palestinian cause as Israel's primary antagonist, will be absent from the summit in Egypt, where Trump is now headed, despite receiving an invitation.
—Shane Croucher, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 Oct. 2025
Kirk was seen as a particularly effective antagonist to campus leftism and to the progressive project as a whole.
—Jeremy Lott, The Washington Examiner, 10 Oct. 2025
Bronstein, her every utterance brimming with deadpan passive-aggression, was shrewd to cast herself as one of Linda’s many antagonists.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 9 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for antagonist
Recent Examples of Synonyms for antagonist
Noun
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What to Do About Leaves Fallen leaves are a friend or an enemy to the home lawn, depending on how they are managed.—
Megan Hughes,
Better Homes & Gardens,
19 Oct. 2025
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Only three of his 157 passes this year have wound up in enemy hands, which is not very promising for a 49ers defense that’s gone an NFL-record 13 straight games without an interception.—
Cam Inman,
Mercury News,
19 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Not for nothing did the sports division fork over a bundle for the rights to license the Roundball Rock theme—which for years effectively served as the soundtrack to Jordan crushing the dreams of his opponents—from its shooting guard-size composer, John Tesh.—
Anthony Crupi,
Sportico.com,
21 Oct. 2025
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On Tuesday, Sanae Takaichi won a vote of 237-149 in the lower house of parliament over her closest opponent, Yoshihiko Noda.—
Meredith Kile,
PEOPLE,
21 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Children’s Health Defense, the organization Kennedy built into one of the fiercest foes of childhood vaccines, took interest in the Idaho bill early on.—
Audrey Dutton,
ProPublica,
20 Oct. 2025
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That would of course include a victory in the season finale against cross-town foe Southern California.—
Eddie Timanus,
USA Today,
20 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The Las Vegas Raiders are making their final preparations for their Week 7 showdown against the AFC West rival Kansas City Chiefs.—
Evan Massey,
MSNBC Newsweek,
19 Oct. 2025
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The group evidently believes Kansas City's recent uptick in performance coupled with Rashee Rice's return from a six-game suspension will allow the Chiefs to cruise to a victory over their divisional rivals.—
Jacob Camenker,
USA Today,
19 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Of course, the heaviest anti-Shannon edit came from Sage, who noticed everything from the register of Shannon’s voice changing to her adversary being a giant shark wearing a cute seal mask.—
Dalton Ross,
Entertainment Weekly,
23 Oct. 2025
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The Cuban Missile Crisis suggests that leaders sometimes respond more effectively when adversaries stay quiet and that open declarations of intent, paradoxically, can make governments more likely to dismiss threats as posturing.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
20 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Antagonist.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/antagonist. Accessed 24 Oct. 2025.
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