verb (used with object),an·tag·o·nized,an·tag·o·niz·ing.
to make hostile or unfriendly; make an enemy or antagonist of: His speech antagonized many voters.
to act in opposition to; oppose.
verb (used without object),an·tag·o·nized,an·tag·o·niz·ing.
Rare. to act antagonistically.
Also especially British, an·tag·o·nise .
Origin of antagonize
First recorded in 1625–35, antagonize is from the Greek word antagōnízesthai to contend against, dispute with. See ant-, agonize
OTHER WORDS FROM antagonize
an·tag·o·niz·a·ble,adjectivean·tag·o·ni·za·tion,nounre·an·tag·o·nize,verb (used with object),re·an·tag·o·nized,re·an·tag·o·niz·ing.un·an·tag·o·niz·a·ble,adjective
If you want this city to prosper, you shouldn’t be antagonizing him.
Is New York City Over? (Ep. 434)|Stephen J. Dubner|October 8, 2020|Freakonomics
“But the SARS-CoV-2 virus has anti-interferon genes which can stop or antagonize the production or effect of interferon,” said Yuen, who measured the effects in human lung tissue.
Covid-19 scientists flag key immune function as a turning point in life threatening cases|kdunn6|September 25, 2020|Fortune
Satirists occupy a perilous position—to skewer dogma and cant, and to antagonize the establishment while needing its protection.
Harry Shearer on The Dangerous Business of Satire|Lloyd Grove|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Close attachment to autocratic regimes by the West pays short-term dividends but will antagonize generations of Muslims.
Why’s Al Qaeda So Strong? Washington Has (Literally) No idea|Bruce Riedel|November 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
So far in the States, he has eschewed the roaring, pumping, and scolding so as not to antagonize his new teammates and opponents.
Masahiro Tanaka Is the Yankees' $155M Lethal Weapon and Strikeout Machine|Allen Barra|May 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Diplomatically, though, the big news is that Obama and Netanyahu will not antagonize each other.
Obama and Netanyahu Have Reached Detente in Time for Israel Visit|Eli Lake|March 17, 2013|DAILY BEAST
For all his flinty wit and occasional impulse to antagonize, Ed Koch was, in the end, almost impossible to dislike.
RIP, Ed Koch|Justin Green|February 1, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Such patriotism as this, we may say, does not antagonize internationalism.
The Psychology of Nations|G.E. Partridge
But because I can influence them, the other leaders don't dare to antagonize me, and so I can have my way up to a certain point.
The Honorable Peter Stirling and What People Thought of Him|Paul Leicester Ford
But she resolutely suppressed the idea; she did not want to antagonize Mrs. Johnson to any greater extent against the girl.
The Girl Scouts' Good Turn|Edith Lavell
She had not much of anything to say to her father, for that matter; but he did not antagonize her.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories|Kate Chopin
And if I find the evil doer beyond hope of correction, I do not antagonize the doer of it.
The Honorable Peter Stirling and What People Thought of Him|Paul Leicester Ford