agonistic

adjective

ˌa-gə-ˈni-stik How to pronounce agonistic (audio)
Definition of agonisticnext
as in aggressive
feeling or displaying eagerness to fight clearly a writer with a chip on his shoulder, he's very agonistic even when stating indisputable facts

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of agonistic Ong used the word agonistic; oral cultures are competitive. — Derek Thompson, The Atlantic, 22 Feb. 2026 Many owners in the city feel stuck—the dog is trigger stacked from the urban environment and more likely to have agonistic reactions towards other dogs as a result. — Lucy Notarantonio, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Sep. 2025 The kitchen remains bloody and agonistic, demanding the preparation of yet another family meal. — E. Tammy Kim, The New Yorker, 14 July 2023 The agonistic, Faulknerian circumstances fill the house with awful silences. — Matthew Gavin Frank, Harper's Magazine, 21 Dec. 2022 Finally, serial attacks may signal the agonistic potential of a family to other flock members. — Ncbi Rofl, Discover Magazine, 11 July 2012 Their observations reveal that Bruce dominates not only in agonistic interactions but also socially during feeding. — Grrlscientist, Forbes.com, 25 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for agonistic
  1. aggressive
  2. militant
  3. hostile
  4. contentious
Adjective
  • The goal is gentle smoke and indirect heat rather than aggressive flames.
    — Staff, FOXNews.com, 3 July 2026
  • Right now, the multi-trillion-dollar global apparel industry is undergoing an aggressive technological shift, adopting artificial intelligence as a production standard rather than an experimental pilot.
    — Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 2 July 2026
Definition of aggressive
Adjective
  • Yet Piker himself has followed the DSA’s militant line, repeatedly praising authoritarian regimes such as China’s, Cuba’s, and Russia’s, as well as terrorist groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah.
    — Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 1 July 2026
  • There are also concerns that fighting between Israel and the Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon could escalate once more and derail future talks.
    — Tiago Ventura, Time, 30 June 2026
Definition of militant
Adjective
  • And until a Black commentator is held responsible for making openly hostile remarks about White people, nothing will change.
    — Bobby Burack OutKick, FOXNews.com, 2 July 2026
  • For example, in March, the crypto exchange Kraken put its multibillion‑dollar IPO on hold amid hostile market conditions, according to CoinDesk.
    — Camila Grigera Naón, Fortune, 2 July 2026
Definition of hostile
Adjective
  • These groups tackle politically contentious issues like immigration, human rights, and the environment.
    — Michael Posner, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026
  • However, the bill was so contentious that in order to squeak it through, legislators stuffed it full of carve-outs and exemptions, allowing cities to delay implementation by passing their own plans to add density.
    — Jack Flemming, Los Angeles Times, 1 July 2026
Definition of contentious

Browse Nearby Words

agonies
agonistic
agonize
See all Nearby Words

Podcast

Theme music by Joshua Stamper ©2006 New Jerusalem Music/ASCAP

Cite this Entry

“Agonistic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/agonistic. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on agonistic

Nglish: Translation of agonistic for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of gambol

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All