as in angered
to implant bitter feelings in
everything he said just antagonized the other side even more
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Recent Examples of antagonized
Vincent suggests that companies harnessing the hype around smart tech also antagonized public (mis) understandings of the definitional nuances of artificial intelligence.
—
Literary Hub, 2 Apr. 2026
When asked who antagonized him, Doncic paused to scan the stat sheet in front of him.
—Los Angeles Times, 13 Mar. 2026
Investigations have linked them to vigilante groups known as militias, which often antagonized Franco.
—Arkansas Online, 26 Feb. 2026
In part to keep the good vibes going, his government antagonized China further in 2021 by allowing Taiwan to build a representative office in Vilnius, the capital.
—Simon Shuster, The Atlantic, 18 Feb. 2026
McPhatter berated the man and threw him against a patrol car twice, and when the man antagonized McPhatter from the back seat of his police cruiser, the cop reached back and grabbed the glasses off his face, prosecutors allege.
—John Annese, New York Daily News, 10 Feb. 2026
How to commemorate a religious sect that was unique, tolerant, forward-thinking, unjustly antagonized—but also short-lived, cultish, poorly documented, and fixated on fire and brimstone?
—Dan Piepenbring, Harpers Magazine, 30 Dec. 2025
In the documentary, neighbors, friends, and family describe Owens as a caring and attentive mother who stepped in whenever her kids were antagonized by Lorincz.
—Allison Degrushe, Entertainment Weekly, 20 Oct. 2025
Everything the rivals were doing antagonized one another.
—Barry Levitt, TIME, 11 Dec. 2024
Literary Hub, 2 Apr. 2026
When asked who antagonized him, Doncic paused to scan the stat sheet in front of him.
—Los Angeles Times, 13 Mar. 2026
Investigations have linked them to vigilante groups known as militias, which often antagonized Franco.
—Arkansas Online, 26 Feb. 2026
In part to keep the good vibes going, his government antagonized China further in 2021 by allowing Taiwan to build a representative office in Vilnius, the capital.
—Simon Shuster, The Atlantic, 18 Feb. 2026
McPhatter berated the man and threw him against a patrol car twice, and when the man antagonized McPhatter from the back seat of his police cruiser, the cop reached back and grabbed the glasses off his face, prosecutors allege.
—John Annese, New York Daily News, 10 Feb. 2026
How to commemorate a religious sect that was unique, tolerant, forward-thinking, unjustly antagonized—but also short-lived, cultish, poorly documented, and fixated on fire and brimstone?
—Dan Piepenbring, Harpers Magazine, 30 Dec. 2025
In the documentary, neighbors, friends, and family describe Owens as a caring and attentive mother who stepped in whenever her kids were antagonized by Lorincz.
—Allison Degrushe, Entertainment Weekly, 20 Oct. 2025
Everything the rivals were doing antagonized one another.
—Barry Levitt, TIME, 11 Dec. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for antagonized
Verb
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Seoul — South Korea’s president has angered the Israeli government by sharing video on social media from 2024 that shows Israeli soldiers pushing a body off a building in the occupied West Bank.—
Gawon Bae,
CNN Money,
13 Apr. 2026
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The mayor's threat to raise property taxes unless Albany agrees to tax the rich angered City Council Speaker Julie Menin.—
Marcia Kramer,
CBS News,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Employees at the store allegedly ended up sharing the footage with customers, which authorities say infuriated Pierce’s brother, Marcus Freeman.—
Nate Gartrell,
Mercury News,
8 Apr. 2026
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Brandon Woodruff, who started Monday’s series opener for Milwaukee and delivered the pitch that infuriated Contreras, had already plunked him five times in seven games dating back to 2018.—
Gabrielle Starr,
Boston Herald,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The tennis pro and former US Open champion smashed his racket at the end of the match after becoming enraged that his opponent, French player Benjamin Bonzi, was given the opportunity to have a second first serve after missing his first when a cameraman illegally walked onto the court.—
Gina Kalsi,
PEOPLE,
9 Apr. 2026
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That deal enraged House Republicans, who refused to consider the Senate's compromise and instead opted to pass their own stopgap spending measure that would continue funding for all of DHS — including ICE and CBP — through May 22 and sending it back to the Senate.—
Justin Papp,Garrett Downs,
CNBC,
1 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Antagonized.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/antagonized. Accessed 17 Apr. 2026.
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