antagonize
verb
an·tag·o·nize
| \ an-ˈta-gə-ˌnīz
\
\
antagonized;
antagonizing
Definition of antagonize
1
: to incur or provoke the hostility of
His criticism antagonized his friends.
2
: to act in opposition to : counteract
The drug is antagonized by methylxanthines, such as caffeine and theophylline … — Scientific American Medicine
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Examples of antagonize in a Sentence
He didn't mean to antagonize you.
Her comments antagonized many people.
Recent Examples on the Web
Erdogan, however, has acted on his unorthodox impulses, bullying the central bank, antagonizing investors, and consolidating personal power over economic institutions (his son-in-law took over as finance minister last year). — Jason Karaian, Quartz, "Turkey’s president is testing his ability to bend the economy to his will," 7 July 2019 Even as his administration imposed sanctions on some of Putin’s inner circle in the wake of the U.K. poisoning, Trump has studiously avoided antagonizing the Russian despot on a personal level, for reasons that remain somewhat mysterious. — Benjamin Hart, Daily Intelligencer, "Trump Attacks Putin by Name for First Time," 8 Apr. 2018 Faragher said the point of Drag Queen Story Hour is not to antagonize anyone or talk about transgender issues. — David Rosenfeld, The Mercury News, "Drag Queen Story Hour draws protests in Southern California," 20 July 2019 Ivanishvili has walked a thin line in recent years, to Russia’s advantage: courting the Kremlin and its supporters in Georgia, but also trying hard not to antagonize Georgia’s overwhelmingly pro-Western population. — Ani Chkhikvadze, The New Republic, "Why Georgia Brings Out Putin’s Insecurities," 25 June 2019 The Ducks released a video tribute to Perry, a sentimental gesture for a player that antagonized opponents for so long with his agitation and anchor-like presence around the net. — Curtis Zupke, latimes.com, "Corey Perry and the Ducks end 14-year relationship with contract buyout," 19 June 2019 Perhaps this was the wrong strategy, to antagonize the devil. — Karen Russell, The New Yorker, "Orange World," 4 June 2017 Her visit alone was enough to antagonize the Chinese government, which opposes any official contact between Washington and Taipei. — Ben Westcott, CNN, "China holds drills in Taiwan Strait, calls for sanctions against US companies," 15 July 2019 Smith said Parks began to antagonize the occupants of the golf cart. — Bree Burkitt, azcentral, "Jury finds Hezron Parks guilty in shooting death of Tempe Fire Capt. Kyle Brayer," 10 July 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'antagonize.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for antagonize
antagonize
verb
English Language Learners Definition of antagonize
: to cause (someone) to feel hostile or angry : to irritate or upset (someone)
See the full definition for antagonize in the English Language Learners Dictionary
antagonize
verb
an·tag·o·nize
| \ an-ˈta-gə-ˌnīz
\
\
antagonized;
antagonizing
Kids Definition of antagonize
: to stir up dislike or anger in
The bully antagonizes younger kids.
antagonize
transitive verb
an·tag·o·nize
variants:
also British antagonise \ an-ˈtag-ə-ˌnīz
\
\
antagonized
also British antagonised;
antagonizing
also British antagonising
Medical Definition of antagonize
: to act in antagonism to : counteract
these effects are antagonized by atropine— Ernest Bueding & Harry Most
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