antagonize
verb
an·tag·o·nize
an-ˈta-gə-ˌnīz 
antagonized; antagonizing
1
: to incur or provoke the hostility of
His criticism antagonized his friends.
2
: to act in opposition to : counteract
The drug is antagonized by methylxanthines, such as caffeine and theophylline …—
Scientific American Medicine
Scientific American Medicine
Examples of antagonize in a Sentence
He didn't mean to antagonize you.
Her comments antagonized many people.
Recent Examples on the Web
Experts, however, say the United States faces limited meaningful options for doing so without antagonizing China or risking a spike in the price of oil.
—Jeff Stein, Washington Post, 16 Apr. 2024
Iran’s reach for regional hegemony, enhanced by its proxies and its nuclear abilities, has antagonized the traditional Sunni Arab governments of the region, including Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Gulf nations.
—Farnaz Fassihi, New York Times, 14 Apr. 2024
That pattern repeated in 2022 when Republican gubernatorial nominee Kari Lake, a Trump loyalist, narrowly lost similarly after memorably antagonizing McCain’s supporters.
—Ronald J. Hansen, The Arizona Republic, 7 Jan. 2024
His mistake had been antagonizing the local prosecutor’s office, which, according to Noah, was as corrupt as the police.
—Luke Mogelson, The New Yorker, 8 Apr. 2024
Orange County hadn’t seen a Democrat like her since Nativo Lopez, a Chicano activist turned Santa Ana Unified school board member who delighted in antagonizing Democrats and Republicans alike in the early 2000s.
—Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 8 Mar. 2024
One is Eloisa played by Blanca Romero who is a woman unafraid of life’s passions antagonizing the chaste Emma as being more object than true woman.
—Callum McLennan, Variety, 6 Mar. 2024
Most people recognize the need to move on from the replacement fantasy, said the operative, who requested anonymity to avoid antagonizing party officials.
—Taryn Luna, Los Angeles Times, 13 Feb. 2024
After quotes from a 2023 interview with City AM recirculated and seemed to show the JFK filmmaker antagonizing Greta Gerwig’s movie, Stone wrote a post on social media to set the record straight.
—Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 22 Jan. 2024
Jeff Stein, Washington Post, 16 Apr. 2024
Iran’s reach for regional hegemony, enhanced by its proxies and its nuclear abilities, has antagonized the traditional Sunni Arab governments of the region, including Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Gulf nations.
—Farnaz Fassihi, New York Times, 14 Apr. 2024
That pattern repeated in 2022 when Republican gubernatorial nominee Kari Lake, a Trump loyalist, narrowly lost similarly after memorably antagonizing McCain’s supporters.
—Ronald J. Hansen, The Arizona Republic, 7 Jan. 2024
His mistake had been antagonizing the local prosecutor’s office, which, according to Noah, was as corrupt as the police.
—Luke Mogelson, The New Yorker, 8 Apr. 2024
Orange County hadn’t seen a Democrat like her since Nativo Lopez, a Chicano activist turned Santa Ana Unified school board member who delighted in antagonizing Democrats and Republicans alike in the early 2000s.
—Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 8 Mar. 2024
One is Eloisa played by Blanca Romero who is a woman unafraid of life’s passions antagonizing the chaste Emma as being more object than true woman.
—Callum McLennan, Variety, 6 Mar. 2024
Most people recognize the need to move on from the replacement fantasy, said the operative, who requested anonymity to avoid antagonizing party officials.
—Taryn Luna, Los Angeles Times, 13 Feb. 2024
After quotes from a 2023 interview with City AM recirculated and seemed to show the JFK filmmaker antagonizing Greta Gerwig’s movie, Stone wrote a post on social media to set the record straight.
—Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 22 Jan. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'antagonize.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near antagonize
Cite this Entry
“Antagonize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/antagonize. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
antagonize
verb
an·tag·o·nize
an-ˈtag-ə-ˌnīz
antagonized; antagonizing
: to stir up dislike or anger in
Medical Definition
antagonize
transitive verb
an·tag·o·nize
variants
also British antagonise
antagonized also British antagonised; antagonizing also British antagonising
: to act in antagonism to : counteract
these effects are antagonized by atropine—Ernest Bueding & Harry Most
Ernest Bueding & Harry MostLove words? Need even more definitions?
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