as in hostile
marked by opposition or ill will
countries that have been antagonistic towards each other for centuries
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Recent Examples of antagonistic
Marius’ character was a bit of a plot twist, being one of the more openly antagonistic characters, in the beginning, at least.
—
Arushi Jacob, Variety, 2 Apr. 2026
Ultimately, even when she’s supposed to play the most antagonistic female archetype, Darlene is simply too much of a mood and a vibe, and her fundamentally anti-Karen nature is good for TV but bad for the judging criteria in this challenge.
—Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 28 Mar. 2026
In a separate text to Tharpe, Jay linked antagonistic stan culture to the ascension of the far-right.
—Jazz Monroe, Pitchfork, 24 Mar. 2026
The impending clash would be the latest of many between Johnson and an antagonistic council bloc.
—Alice Yin, Chicago Tribune, 16 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for antagonistic
Arushi Jacob, Variety, 2 Apr. 2026
Ultimately, even when she’s supposed to play the most antagonistic female archetype, Darlene is simply too much of a mood and a vibe, and her fundamentally anti-Karen nature is good for TV but bad for the judging criteria in this challenge.
—Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 28 Mar. 2026
In a separate text to Tharpe, Jay linked antagonistic stan culture to the ascension of the far-right.
—Jazz Monroe, Pitchfork, 24 Mar. 2026
The impending clash would be the latest of many between Johnson and an antagonistic council bloc.
—Alice Yin, Chicago Tribune, 16 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for antagonistic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for antagonistic
Adjective
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These Knicks still need to close the Hawks out in hostile territory in Game 6.—
Kristian Winfield,
New York Daily News,
29 Apr. 2026
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Extreme recovery conditions The Asse II mine presents a uniquely hostile environment.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
29 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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According to Newsweek, the overall score was composed of 80% from survey results, and 20% from social listening analysis, which analyzed media coverage and online discussion to assess whether public sentiment was positive, neutral or negative.—
Finch Walker,
USA Today,
29 Apr. 2026
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The contest aims to challenge negative stereotypes of seagulls, which are often seen as a nuisance, by imitating them, per local network WTV.—
Adam England,
PEOPLE,
29 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Antagonistic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/antagonistic. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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