as in hostility
a deep-seated ill will
the antagonism between them was so bad they couldn't even sit near each other
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Recent Examples of antagonism
The ranks of mainland Chinese visitors coming to Japan nearly tripled last year to 7 million, chipping away at decades of antagonism between the countries and helping make 2024 a banner year for tourism.
—
Ann Scott Tyson, The Christian Science Monitor, 7 Feb. 2025
President Trump seems safe in his antagonism toward his American opposition.
—Richard E. Vatz, Baltimore Sun, 26 Jan. 2025
April Clark, a comedian and pool player, chalks up antagonism at pool tables in L.A. to a scarcity issue.
—Maddie Connors, Los Angeles Times, 20 Dec. 2024
But Roy is widely seen as an extreme long shot for the job given his antagonism to leadership and his previous votes against procedural rules — legislation designed by the Rules panel that governs debate and consideration of amendments on the House floor — despite being on the committee.
—Emily Brooks, The Hill, 3 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for antagonism
Ann Scott Tyson, The Christian Science Monitor, 7 Feb. 2025
President Trump seems safe in his antagonism toward his American opposition.
—Richard E. Vatz, Baltimore Sun, 26 Jan. 2025
April Clark, a comedian and pool player, chalks up antagonism at pool tables in L.A. to a scarcity issue.
—Maddie Connors, Los Angeles Times, 20 Dec. 2024
But Roy is widely seen as an extreme long shot for the job given his antagonism to leadership and his previous votes against procedural rules — legislation designed by the Rules panel that governs debate and consideration of amendments on the House floor — despite being on the committee.
—Emily Brooks, The Hill, 3 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for antagonism
Recent Examples of Synonyms for antagonism
Noun
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The Russian foreign policy establishment always speculated that Europe would be most likely to eventually seek rapprochement with Moscow, while U.S. hostility to Russia was thought to be hard-wired.—
Fred Weir,
The Christian Science Monitor,
5 Mar. 2025
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Constantine says that talking about solar’s benefits—whether that’s through creating jobs, reducing blackouts, or pushing electricity prices down—is the key to overcoming hostility.—
Kate Yoder,
WIRED,
1 Mar. 2025
Noun
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And again to be blunt, filmmakers and studio execs also maintain feelings and grudges that spill over into and onto fans and press on either side.—
Mark Hughes,
Forbes,
25 Feb. 2025
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Another mentioned a different kind of bias potentially at play: the grudge theatrical stalwarts still hold against Netflix.—
Nate Jones,
Vulture,
22 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Democrats, blinded by their hatred of him, have ignored this.—
Gordon G. Chang,
Newsweek,
3 Mar. 2025
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Debra Messing, who has produced a new documentary on (horseshoe-theory) antisemitism called October 8, has been one of Hollywood’s few intensely admirable exceptions, calling out anti-Jewish hatred with a fierce constancy over the past 16 months.—
Steven Zeitchik,
The Hollywood Reporter,
1 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Antagonism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/antagonism. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.
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