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
Conversely, after Lai used less antagonistic language toward China in speeches this May and October, China declined to hold large military drills.
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Stephen Wertheim, Foreign Affairs, 28 Oct. 2025
The old-school business models used to support this sort of antagonistic reporting because the papers were subsidized by classified ads and lifestyle coverage.
—David Wingrave, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025
And the number of those filmmakers antagonistic to AI is long.
—Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 22 Oct. 2025
Sawa played Scott Wormer, the leader of a group of antagonistic brothers who ultimately falls for Roberta.
—Victoria Edel, PEOPLE, 22 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for antagonistic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for antagonistic
Adjective
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Skepticism came easily to Trump, who had long been hostile to mainstream foreign policy.—
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The helicopter the pilot was flying — a heavy, twin-rotor MH-47 Chinook — was struck by hostile fire during the operation.—
Adjective
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Researchers revealed that the high-voltage output facilitates the neutralization and collection of dust and moisture by generating negative ions.—
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By the end of the year, the Gallup Economic Confidence Index, which measures views of the economy and its future, stood at a whopping negative 33, down nearly 20 points since spring.—
Cite this Entry
“Antagonistic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/antagonistic. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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