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
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Recent Examples of agonistic
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
The Red Queen is about eternal recurrence of the agonistic dance between organisms.
—Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 21 Apr. 2011
Finally, serial attacks may signal the agonistic potential of a family to other flock members.
—Ncbi Rofl, Discover Magazine, 11 July 2012
Serial agonistic attacks by greylag goose families, Anser anser, against the same opponent.
—Ncbi Rofl, Discover Magazine, 11 July 2012
But the drive, the bile, the essential, agonistic spirit that powers the greatest rock music and serves as the source of its creativity will almost certainly be lacking.
—Damon Linker, The Week, 4 Sep. 2021
This agonistic version of the fact-value distinction leaves us with an impoverished ideal of social interaction.
—Peter E. Gordon, The New York Review of Books, 19 Nov. 2020
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
The Red Queen is about eternal recurrence of the agonistic dance between organisms.
—Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 21 Apr. 2011
Finally, serial attacks may signal the agonistic potential of a family to other flock members.
—Ncbi Rofl, Discover Magazine, 11 July 2012
Serial agonistic attacks by greylag goose families, Anser anser, against the same opponent.
—Ncbi Rofl, Discover Magazine, 11 July 2012
But the drive, the bile, the essential, agonistic spirit that powers the greatest rock music and serves as the source of its creativity will almost certainly be lacking.
—Damon Linker, The Week, 4 Sep. 2021
This agonistic version of the fact-value distinction leaves us with an impoverished ideal of social interaction.
—Peter E. Gordon, The New York Review of Books, 19 Nov. 2020
Recent Examples of Synonyms for agonistic
Adjective
-
But even in Alberta, a province that has favored development, the legacy policies are still likely not aggressive enough to meet the moment.—
Mark Le Dain,
Forbes.com,
16 June 2025
-
Most recently the administration asked the Supreme Court to clear the way for downsizing the federal workforce despite multiple court rulings that congressional approval is needed to make such aggressive reductions.—
Ragan Whitlock,
The Orlando Sentinel,
14 June 2025
Adjective
-
The aid group accused Hamas of carrying out the assault; the militant group has not yet responded to the allegations.—
Jade Walker,
CNN Money,
12 June 2025
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Some activists have been criticized for spreading messages seen as antisemitic or outright supportive of militant groups like Hamas and Hezbollah.—
Jesus Mesa,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 June 2025
Adjective
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The crowd was right on top of you there, the students rimmed the court, the very definition of a hostile environment.—
Jim Calhoun with Dom Amore,
Hartford Courant,
8 June 2025
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That’s coupled with a more hostile political environment for diversity-forward businesses.—
Phoebe Liu,
Forbes.com,
8 June 2025
Adjective
-
The contentious professional relationship between billionaire Elon Musk and President Donald Trump has seemingly come to an end.—
Maria Gracia Santillana Linares,
Forbes.com,
10 June 2025
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One particularly contentious confrontation occurred at a Home Depot in the heavily Latino city of Paramount, just outside Los Angeles.—
Joe Hernandez,
NPR,
8 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Agonistic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/agonistic. Accessed 19 Jun. 2025.
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