as in to infuriate
to implant bitter feelings in
everything he said just antagonized the other side even more
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Recent Examples of antagonize
Wish-casting a better result for a confrontation in a different place, Vindman suppresses how much and how often America antagonized Russia through its idealist actions, rather than realist inaction.
—
Samuel Moyn, Harpers Magazine, 16 July 2025
With Mexico also being subject to U.S. tariffs, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo has antagonized Trump but done so in a way that has earned Trump’s favor.
—David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 8 July 2025
Oh, Caitlin can clap at ya now, Caitlin can antagonize ya now.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 19 June 2025
In a brief Instagram post, 50 Cent — who has decades-long beef with Combs and repeatedly antagonized him over the course of the trial — joked about the Bad Boy Records founder being acquitted of violating the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, or RICO.
—Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 2 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for antagonize
Samuel Moyn, Harpers Magazine, 16 July 2025
With Mexico also being subject to U.S. tariffs, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo has antagonized Trump but done so in a way that has earned Trump’s favor.
—David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 8 July 2025
Oh, Caitlin can clap at ya now, Caitlin can antagonize ya now.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 19 June 2025
In a brief Instagram post, 50 Cent — who has decades-long beef with Combs and repeatedly antagonized him over the course of the trial — joked about the Bad Boy Records founder being acquitted of violating the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, or RICO.
—Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 2 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for antagonize
Recent Examples of Synonyms for antagonize
Verb
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One of the stranger conspiracies to emerge from the absurd, infuriating intervening years is the insistence by some that, owing to shadowy weather-manipulating entities, the sky has changed for the worse.—
Rachel Monroe,
New Yorker,
2 Aug. 2025
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Instead, a newspaper reporter got wind of the scheme and published the details, which infuriated the lottery's oversight board.—
John C. Moritz,
Austin American Statesman,
30 July 2025
Verb
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After almost zero wheedling, Fairburn gives Wednesday some real dirt: Galpin visited Tyler once, and the interaction enraged Tyler beyond anything the doctor had ever seen before.—
Jessica M. Goldstein,
Vulture,
6 Aug. 2025
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That deal, which has often led to a massive spending bill known as an omnibus negotiated by House and Senate leaders, enrages conservatives who complain most lawmakers are left out of the process.—
Aris Folley,
The Hill,
5 Aug. 2025
Verb
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In light of Collins recently being hospitalized for knee surgery, his fans were actually jarred and angered by an AI image of McCartney supposedly visiting him under far more dire circumstances.—
David Browne,
Rolling Stone,
11 Aug. 2025
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Meanwhile, Russia stood back when Azerbaijan reclaimed control of Karabakh in the September 2023 offensive, angering Armenia, which has moved to shed Russian influence and turn westward.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
9 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Domestic and regional actors often manipulate aid deliveries, creating a skewed economy that leaves some people embittered and others emboldened.—
Maha Yahya,
Foreign Affairs,
17 Feb. 2025
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Many people feel frustrated — embittered by what some view as an overly cautious approach by the Biden administration, and having endured months of delays in receiving American military assistance last year after it was held up in Congress.—
Marc Santora,
New York Times,
19 Jan. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Antagonize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/antagonize. Accessed 19 Aug. 2025.
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