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
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Recent Examples of antagonists
According to the Hollywood Reporter, which broke the news, Irons will play one of the film's antagonists, the leader of a secret order called the Watchers who keep an eye on immortals, viewing them as a threat to humanity.
—
Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Sep. 2025
However, the actor had previously played antagonists in shows such as Lost, Being Human, Dexter, Revolution and The Tomorrow People.
—Stephanie Sengwe, People.com, 13 Sep. 2025
On the Dungeon Master side, the book included new organizations, guilds and other element of city life that can be used as allies and antagonists.
—Rob Wieland, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 2025
And yet, introducing new antagonists through a muddled mystery, the core Conjuring mythology nearly cracks beyond repair.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 7 Sep. 2025
The Morning Show Season 4 trailer has arrived, teasing the return of not only Reese Witherspoon’s Bradley Jackson but also one of Season 3’s main antagonists Paul Marks (Jon Hamm).
—Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 20 Aug. 2025
Arguably none of the major antagonists proved as impactful to the series as Jon Lithgow's Trinity Killer.
—Mark Davis, Newsweek, 14 Mar. 2025
But that alliance puts our heroes in the sights of antagonists such as Colonel Bradbury (Giancarlo Esposito), a machine-hating military man who does his drone dirty work from his cush home library.
—Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 14 Mar. 2025
And aren’t Putin and Russia our antagonists and enemies?
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 13 Mar. 2025
Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Sep. 2025
However, the actor had previously played antagonists in shows such as Lost, Being Human, Dexter, Revolution and The Tomorrow People.
—Stephanie Sengwe, People.com, 13 Sep. 2025
On the Dungeon Master side, the book included new organizations, guilds and other element of city life that can be used as allies and antagonists.
—Rob Wieland, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 2025
And yet, introducing new antagonists through a muddled mystery, the core Conjuring mythology nearly cracks beyond repair.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 7 Sep. 2025
The Morning Show Season 4 trailer has arrived, teasing the return of not only Reese Witherspoon’s Bradley Jackson but also one of Season 3’s main antagonists Paul Marks (Jon Hamm).
—Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 20 Aug. 2025
Arguably none of the major antagonists proved as impactful to the series as Jon Lithgow's Trinity Killer.
—Mark Davis, Newsweek, 14 Mar. 2025
But that alliance puts our heroes in the sights of antagonists such as Colonel Bradbury (Giancarlo Esposito), a machine-hating military man who does his drone dirty work from his cush home library.
—Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 14 Mar. 2025
And aren’t Putin and Russia our antagonists and enemies?
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 13 Mar. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for antagonists
Noun
-
While it’s commonly believed that cats and dogs are inherent enemies, the American Kennel Club (AKC) suggests that isn’t always the case.—
Alyce Collins,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Oct. 2025
-
Militaries are reviving old tactics with new technology, using decoys to confuse enemies and protect real weapons.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
3 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Those opponents cited massive price tags in other states with similar efforts, and have argued the accounts harm public schools.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
2 Oct. 2025
-
The Texas quarterback and de facto royal family member struggled in the season opener at Ohio State, then racked up numbers against two of three lesser opponents.—
Steven Louis Goldstein,
New York Times,
1 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Bunny hopping is nothing new for first-person shooters; spamming the jump button to confuse foes is a decades-old tactic.—
Christopher Cruz,
Rolling Stone,
7 Oct. 2025
-
However, with five ranked foes remaining, and only two coming at home (only one of those two an SEC team, for that matter), Florida will need to sustain change, a feat Napier has yet to do.—
Noah White,
Miami Herald,
5 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
On the one hand, Madrid sit two points clear of Barcelona at the top of La Liga after a dip in form from their Catalan rivals and have won nine of their 10 games in all competitions.—
Mario Cortegana,
New York Times,
7 Oct. 2025
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OpenAI’s aggressive expansion could be critical to keep up with rivals like Meta, Microsoft and Google that have spent decades building their digital ecosystems, said Daniel Keum, an associate professor at Columbia Business School.—
Lisa Eadicicco,
CNN Money,
7 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Indeed, America’s adversaries, such as China, Russia, and Iran, as well as its allies, such as the United Kingdom and South Korea, are all exploring or implementing terrestrial backups for their GPS infrastructure.—
Robert Schmad,
The Washington Examiner,
7 Oct. 2025
-
In December, the intelligence community updated its assessment to note that two unnamed agencies believed foreign adversaries may have developed technology that could be responsible for the symptoms experienced in some cases.—
Nora Gamez Torres,
Miami Herald,
2 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Antagonists.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/antagonists. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
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