Word forms: 3rd person singular presenttense antagonizes, present participle antagonizing, past tense, past participle antagonizedregional note: in BRIT, also use antagonise
verb
If you antagonize someone, you make them feel angry or hostile towards you.
He didn't want to antagonize her. [VERB noun]
Synonyms: annoy, anger, insult, offend More Synonyms of antagonize
antagonize in British English
or antagonise (ænˈtæɡəˌnaɪz)
verb(transitive)
1.
to make hostile; annoy or irritate
2.
to act in opposition to or counteract
Derived forms
antagonizable (anˈtagoˌnizable) or antagonisable (anˈtagoˌnisable)
adjective
antagonization (anˌtagoniˈzation) or antagonisation (anˌtagoniˈsation)
noun
Word origin
C17: from Greek antagōnizesthai, from anti- + agōnizesthai to strive, from agōn contest
antagonize in American English
(ænˈtægəˌnaɪz)
verb transitiveWord forms: anˈtagoˌnized or anˈtagoˌnizing
1.
to oppose or counteract
2.
to incur the dislike of; make an enemy of
Word origin
Gr antagōnizesthai, to struggle against < anti-, against + agōnizesthai: see agonize
Examples of 'antagonize' in a sentence
antagonize
She had no wish to antagonize this man who might be of use to her, and she sensed the change in him almost before he was aware of it.
Meek, M R D A WORM OF DOUBT (2002)
Diane didn't want to antagonize Ed, because sitting in the car next to him felt good.
Trenhalle, John A MEANS TO EVIL (2002)
He had already become hostile and she didn't want to antagonize him further.
Robert Wilson THE COMPANY OF STRANGERS (2002)
She decided that she did not want to antagonize Cardoni; she did not want him thinking about her at all.
Phillip Margolin WILD JUSTICE (2002)
In other languages
antagonize
British English: antagonize /ænˈtæɡəˌnaɪz/ VERB
If you antagonize someone, you make them feel hostile towards you.
She didn't want to antagonize him further.
American English: antagonize
Arabic: يُعادي
Brazilian Portuguese: antagonizar
Chinese: 敌对
Croatian: izazvati neprijateljstvo
Czech: znepřátelit (si)
Danish: støde fra sig
Dutch: tegen zich in het harnas jagen
European Spanish: contrariar
Finnish: suututtaa
French: éveiller l'hostilité
German: verärgern (jemanden)
Greek: ανταγωνίζομαι
Italian: inimicarsi
Japanese: 敵にまわす
Korean: 적개심을 일으키다
Norwegian: motarbeide
Polish: sprzeciwić się
European Portuguese: antagonizar
Romanian: a se împotrivia irita (pe cineva)
Russian: конфликтовать
Latin American Spanish: contrariar
Swedish: stöta bort
Thai: ทำให้กลายเป็นศัตรู
Turkish: düşmanlığını kazanmak
Ukrainian: ворогувати
Vietnamese: gây thù địch
(verb)
Definition
to arouse hostility in
He didn't want to antagonize her.
Synonyms
annoy
Try making a note of the things that annoy you.
anger
The decision to allow more construction angered the residents.
insult
offend
I had no intention of offending the community.
irritate
Their attitude irritates me.
alienate
The government cannot afford to alienate either group.
hassle (informal)
The children started hassling me as soon as I sat down.
aggravate (informal)
What aggravates you most about this country?
gall
It was their smugness that galled her most.
repel
estrange
get under your skin (informal)
Her mannerisms can just get under your skin and needle you.
get on your nerves (informal)
nark (British, Australian, New Zealand, slang)
get up your nose (informal)
be on your back (slang)
piss you off (taboo, slang)
rub (someone) up the wrong way (informal)
disaffect
get in your hair (informal)
get on your wick (British, slang)
hack you off (informal)
Opposites
calm
,
win over
,
soothe
,
disarm
,
appease
,
placate
,
pacify
,
mollify
,
conciliate
,
propitiate
Additional synonyms
in the sense of aggravate
Definition
to annoy
What aggravates you most about this country?
Synonyms
annoy,
bother,
provoke,
needle (informal),
irritate,
tease,
hassle (informal),
gall,
exasperate,
nettle,
pester,
vex,
irk,
get under your skin (informal),
get on your nerves (informal),
nark (British, Australian, New Zealand, slang),
get up your nose (informal),
be on your back (slang),
piss you off (taboo, slang),
rub (someone) up the wrong way (informal),
get in your hair (informal),
get on your wick (British, slang),
hack you off (informal)
in the sense of alienate
Definition
to cause a friend to become unfriendly or hostile
The government cannot afford to alienate either group.
Synonyms
antagonize,
anger,
annoy,
offend,
irritate,
hassle (informal),
gall,
repel,
estrange,
piss off (taboo, slang),
lose the affection of,
disaffect,
hack off (informal)
in the sense of anger
Definition
to make (someone) angry
The decision to allow more construction angered the residents.