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
Feldstein Soto says that COVID-19, antagonistic juries are at fault.
—
Noah Goldberg, Los Angeles Times, 20 June 2025
Whether Earle-Sears can consolidate those suburban inroads — or whether Spanberger can capitalize on anger over the Trump administration's antagonistic approach to the federal workforce — may very well decide the race.
—Margaret Barthel, NPR, 17 June 2025
The 12 countries targeted – plus seven more, which face partial restrictions – are mostly nations with frosty, adversarial or outwardly antagonistic relations with Washington.
—Rob Picheta, CNN Money, 5 June 2025
John Walker Wyatt Russell in Falcon and the Winter Soldier Marvel Studios
An antagonistic force in Falcon and the Winter Soldier, John Walker (Wyatt Russell) is a military vet who takes the supersoldier serum and, briefly, is dubbed by the U.S. government as the new Captain America.
—Eliana Dockterman, Time, 30 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for antagonistic
Noah Goldberg, Los Angeles Times, 20 June 2025
Whether Earle-Sears can consolidate those suburban inroads — or whether Spanberger can capitalize on anger over the Trump administration's antagonistic approach to the federal workforce — may very well decide the race.
—Margaret Barthel, NPR, 17 June 2025
The 12 countries targeted – plus seven more, which face partial restrictions – are mostly nations with frosty, adversarial or outwardly antagonistic relations with Washington.
—Rob Picheta, CNN Money, 5 June 2025
John Walker Wyatt Russell in Falcon and the Winter Soldier Marvel Studios
An antagonistic force in Falcon and the Winter Soldier, John Walker (Wyatt Russell) is a military vet who takes the supersoldier serum and, briefly, is dubbed by the U.S. government as the new Captain America.
—Eliana Dockterman, Time, 30 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for antagonistic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for antagonistic
Adjective
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Forced to work in a more hostile environment than.when it was first established in 2019, the mission faces limited options for evacuations due to the ongoing suspension of international commercial flights, and mobility, because of gangs’ ongoing gang encirclement of Port-au-Prince.—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
14 July 2025
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From retail shops to corner bodegas and independent grocery stores, the past few years have not only forced small business owners to confront staggering economic challenges, but also a needlessly hostile regulatory environment brought on by out-of-touch policymakers.—
Tosha Miller,
New York Daily News,
12 July 2025
Adjective
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That projection is based on the tariffs raising $2.6 trillion overall, while being offset by $418 billion in negative impacts.—
Alison Durkee,
Forbes.com,
10 July 2025
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More urgently, defunding and censoring science could have dramatically negative consequences for all Americans.—
Matt Motta,
Scientific American,
10 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Antagonistic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/antagonistic. Accessed 19 Jul. 2025.
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