ANTAGONIZING Synonyms: 80 Similar and Opposite Words

antagonizing 1 of 2

adjective

as in provoking

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

antagonizing

2 of 2

verb

present participle of antagonize

as in angering

to implant bitter feelings in everything he said just antagonized the other side even more

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of antagonizing

Verb

Washington must stop antagonizing Ottawa and instead cooperate with its northern neighbor on Arctic and maritime security, mineral extraction and trade, and technological innovation. — Robert B. Zoellick, Foreign Affairs, 9 Oct. 2026 Davidson is even calm when talking about Kardashian’s ex-husband Ye, who once wrote a song antagonizing Davidson. — Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 30 Sep. 2026 And at a moment when the US is antagonizing allies and has yet to find a way to end its war on Iran that’s destabilizing the global economy, Xi has been burnishing China’s image as a responsible and dependable global leader. — Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 23 Sep. 2026 India, the host, wants the summit to accomplish as much as possible without antagonizing the United States. — Ian Bremmer, Time, 11 Sep. 2026 While the competition ignited the box office in a world-class example of counterprogramming, the move was seen as baiting and antagonizing the director. — Matt Donnelly, Variety, 21 July 2026 Wilson, played by understudy Merrill Peiffer on opening night, recurs as a comedic yet antagonizing force throughout the show, making a years-long series of excuses for not promoting women’s suffrage. — Emily McClanathan, Chicago Tribune, 10 July 2026 Hathaway’s style of play — gritty, aggressive, antagonizing — fits the mold that those former teammates have carried over to Florida. — Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 29 June 2026 On Monday against the Phoenix Mercury, Clark spent the game peeved at the officials and picked up her fifth technical after clapping in an antagonizing manner toward a rival. — Candace Buckner, New York Times, 27 June 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for antagonizing

Adjective

Straker, the foul-mouthed, Daily Mail–provoking British chef, has made his way stateside.

— Elise Taylor, Vanity Fair, 7 Oct. 2026
Read Cep’s Profile of Kingsolver » Our editors and critics choose the most captivating, notable, brilliant, surprising, absorbing, weird, thought-provoking, and talked-about books.

— Casey Cep, New Yorker, 30 Sep. 2026

Definition of provoking

Verb

The widespread use of arrests, tear gas and riot-control weapons against teenagers is fueling defiance and angering some parents and teachers.

— NICOLAS GARRIGA, Arkansas Online, 7 Oct. 2026
Spain is hard-hit due to small rental market The housing crunch has been simmering for years in Spain, eating into household budgets and angering voters.

— Joseph Wilson, Chicago Tribune, 3 Oct. 2026

Definition of angering

Adjective

This is all already aggravating because Rainbeau’s tone and impatience were hardly the issue last season.

— Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 13 Oct. 2026
Bagent, though, will also have to resist the urge to press on Sunday, an understandable temptation given the aggravating, albeit minor, interruptions to his growth over the past two months.

— Dan Wiederer, New York Times, 3 Oct. 2026

Definition of aggravating

Verb

Cummings said that in January 2021, a friend of Birchmore’s called Stoughton police and told a dispatcher about the illicit relationship, infuriating Farwell.

— Faith Karimi, CNN Money, 9 Oct. 2026
His laserlike focus on the particulars of the story doesn’t leave much room for extrapolation; even the infuriating case of bureaucratic overreach that the film depicts can easily be understood, and perhaps even defended, as an aberration.

— Justin Chang, New Yorker, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of infuriating

Adjective

McCartney said of his note to Mendes about the height imbalance, wondering how the director will rectify this annoying, historic aberration.

— Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 13 Oct. 2026
Something in your routine, schedule, or workload may feel disproportionately annoying or demanding, especially if too many little things pile up at once.

— Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of annoying

Adjective

The program's first matchup with a Southeastern Conference team in a regular season since hosting Vanderbilt in 1959 quickly became an exhausting and exasperating experience for the defense.

— CBS News, CBS News, 12 Sep. 2026
Repeatedly taking your shoes off and on is time-consuming and exasperating.

— R. Eric Thomas, Mercury News, 22 Aug. 2026

Definition of exasperating

Browse Nearby Words

antagonizes

antagonizing

ante

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Antagonizing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/antagonizing. Accessed 19 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of antagonizing

adjective

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

fervid

Popular in Grammar & Usage

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Popular in Wordplay

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?

Popular

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

Games & Quizzes