setting (against)

verb

Definition of setting (against)next
present participle of set (against)
as in infuriating

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for setting (against)
  1. infuriating
  2. alienating
  3. estranging
  4. enraging
  5. incensing
  6. maddening
  7. angering
  8. 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
Verb
  • Physicality presents technical challenges to audio recording, and wit—primarily achievable by coming up with lots of ideas in advance—quickly becomes alienating in a casual setting.
    — Dan Brooks, New Yorker, 10 Oct. 2026
  • Artists playing into their politics isn’t without risk, as many steer clear to avoid alienating fans or getting embroiled in controversy.
    — Ethan Millman, HollywoodReporter, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of alienating
Verb
  • So, how can an organization remain current on customers' ever-changing needs and expectations without annoying or estranging them?
    — Chip Bell, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2025
Definition of estranging
Verb
  • The administration removed hundreds of trees from the East Potomac Golf Links over the weekend, enraging the judge.
    — Julia Boehning, The Hill, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Unbearably painful and enraging for the one, surely pretty darn awkward for the other.
    — Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of enraging
Verb
  • On the other hand, the Department of Justice redacted the names of several people who are not survivors -- incensing not only members of Congress but also survivors of Epstein's crimes who charge that the administration is engaged in a cover-up.
    — John Parkinson, ABC News, 4 Mar. 2026
  • Amid the crackdown, Renee Good, 37, and Alex Pretti, 37, were both shot and killed by federal immigration authorities in separate confrontations, incensing large swaths of the nation.
    — Matt Lavietes, NBC news, 30 Jan. 2026
Definition of incensing
Verb
  • There’s no app to download and no maddening hold music to endure.
    — Amanda McGuckin Hager, Forbes.com, 13 Oct. 2026
  • In an alternate-history 1904, America is still only thirteen colonies, due to the dark forces of maddening angels that warp humans’ minds and bodies.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of maddening
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
Verb
  • And those are things that end up aggravating behavioral health disabilities.
    — Joseph Shapiro, NPR, 30 Sep. 2026
  • With Williams dealing with an injury that’s always tricky for players in this league, there’s no reason to rush him back and risk aggravating it again.
    — Scott Thompson OutKick, FOXNews.com, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of aggravating
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.

Browse Nearby Words

setting about
setting (against)
setting apart
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Cite this Entry

“Setting (against).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/setting%20%28against%29. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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