1
as in enemies
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 opponents
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 antagonists
From Jason Voorhees terrorizing all visitors of Camp Crystal Lake to Michael Myers persistently haunting the inhabitants of Haddonfield, Illinois, horror movies have relied on the silence and mystique of their main antagonists for decades.
—
Stephanie Sengwe, PEOPLE, 30 Oct. 2025
The two sides are long-term antagonists.
—Andy Browne, semafor.com, 30 Oct. 2025
The new season introduces formidable antagonists played by Jaideep Ahlawat as Rukma and Nimrat Kaur as Meera, who push the protagonist to his limits.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 28 Oct. 2025
Seven or eight of his primary antagonists, including me, were all standing around when the idea came up, again.
—Théoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 26 Oct. 2025
Jarrard also mentions the Flood, a parasitic alien species introduced in Combat Evolved that have become recurring antagonists of the franchise.
—Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 24 Oct. 2025
The horror conceit occasionally lapses into B-movie costume drama with antagonists that feel more pastiche than myth.
—Jerry Saltz, Vulture, 23 Oct. 2025
The best antagonists ultimately have an incredibly relatable backstory.
—Katie Campione, Deadline, 23 Oct. 2025
But Hoffman and Sacks have been public antagonists recently, due mostly to their political differences.
—Ashley Capoot, CNBC, 20 Oct. 2025
Stephanie Sengwe, PEOPLE, 30 Oct. 2025
The two sides are long-term antagonists.
—Andy Browne, semafor.com, 30 Oct. 2025
The new season introduces formidable antagonists played by Jaideep Ahlawat as Rukma and Nimrat Kaur as Meera, who push the protagonist to his limits.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 28 Oct. 2025
Seven or eight of his primary antagonists, including me, were all standing around when the idea came up, again.
—Théoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 26 Oct. 2025
Jarrard also mentions the Flood, a parasitic alien species introduced in Combat Evolved that have become recurring antagonists of the franchise.
—Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 24 Oct. 2025
The horror conceit occasionally lapses into B-movie costume drama with antagonists that feel more pastiche than myth.
—Jerry Saltz, Vulture, 23 Oct. 2025
The best antagonists ultimately have an incredibly relatable backstory.
—Katie Campione, Deadline, 23 Oct. 2025
But Hoffman and Sacks have been public antagonists recently, due mostly to their political differences.
—Ashley Capoot, CNBC, 20 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for antagonists
Noun
-
Lower courts have ruled Trump overstepped his authority under a law historically used for imposing economic sanctions and other penalties on foreign enemies.—
Joey Garrison,
USA Today,
24 Oct. 2025
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Price, a former Navy man, is conveying the exhaustion of Black sailors and soldiers in a military that continues to enshrine—most recently, in the names of Army bases—its Confederate enemies.—
Julian Lucas,
New Yorker,
24 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Among the opponents are some residents of Alton Road, who say that gating off North Bay Road would worsen the city’s already substantial traffic problems and create headaches for people trying to access their homes.—
Aaron Leibowitz,
Miami Herald,
29 Oct. 2025
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At that point, Category 6 opponents argue, there’s little further distinction to be made about just how dire the situation will be.—
Meghan Bartels,
Scientific American,
29 Oct. 2025
Noun
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So Florida divided up the region between coaches, struggling to maintain consistency against a growing number of more aggressive foes.—
Noah White,
Miami Herald,
27 Oct. 2025
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The fans reveled in the rally, the thrashing of Goliath, the awareness that this World Series pitted two foes who belonged on the same field.—
Andy McCullough,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The company behind the iconic Roomba robotic vacuum has been watching its stock progressively slide since 2021 as its early success was overrun by stiff competition from Chinese rivals Anker, Ecovacs, and Roborock.—
Andrew Nusca,
Fortune,
28 Oct. 2025
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Novo Nordisk is developing a new obesity drug that clinical trials suggest rivals Zepbound in effectiveness, and Eli Lilly is testing a drug that could end up being even more effective than the current products on the market.—
Nicholas Florko,
The Atlantic,
28 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Potential adversaries interpret political action in zero-sum terms; see malice and evil design in mere blunders and coincidence; trumpet necessity rather than navigate choice; and, in extreme cases, invent pretext or promise profit to make more palatable a dubious cause.—
Elizabeth D. Samet,
Foreign Affairs,
29 Oct. 2025
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In Texas, meanwhile, statehouse lobbyists are outright banned from accepting payments from corporations linked to foreign adversaries.—
Robert Schmad,
The Washington Examiner,
28 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Antagonists.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/antagonists. Accessed 3 Nov. 2025.
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