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
Serkis will return to his role of the antagonistic creature Gollum, around whom the film centers.
—
Rachel Raposas, PEOPLE, 3 Apr. 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for antagonistic
Rachel Raposas, PEOPLE, 3 Apr. 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for antagonistic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for antagonistic
Adjective
-
And Roosevelt explained in his summer radio addresses of 1941 that if the Germans win the war, the United States becomes an island within the world, with hostile empires dominating most of the world’s landmass.—
David Frum,
The Atlantic,
20 May 2026
-
Steward filed a complaint with human resources on June 30, alleging a hostile work environment.—
Ben Wheeler
May 20,
Kansas City Star,
20 May 2026
Adjective
-
Robertson’s work is precisely about the negative space around authorship.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
21 May 2026
-
Asia-Pacific equities are in the red, led lower by Japan's Nikkei 225 and South Korea's Kospi, while European futures are pointing to a negative open.—
Leonie Kidd,
CNBC,
20 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Antagonistic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/antagonistic. Accessed 23 May. 2026.
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