ANTAGONIZING Synonyms: 80 Similar and Opposite Words

antagonizing 1 of 2

adjective

as in provoking

Related Words

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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

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 The thing is Georgia wasn’t antagonizing her (and Ariana tells her as much). — Tom Smyth, Vulture, 16 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 Trump first began antagonizing Senate Republicans last month by endorsing challenges to two of their own incumbents. — Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 24 June 2026 Investor Michael Burry—of Big Short fame—considered antagonizing the richest man on the planet over the IPO of his latest company. — Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 17 June 2026 Dalton Eatherly, 28, is known in Clarksville for deliberately antagonizing people on camera and also faces theft and disorderly conduct charges from a separate incident. — Kristin M. Hall, Los Angeles Times, 14 May 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for antagonizing

Adjective

The Best Books of the Year (So Far) Our editors and critics choose the most captivating, notable, brilliant, surprising, absorbing, weird, thought-provoking, and talked-about books.

— Hannah Jocelyn, New Yorker, 24 June 2026
Chiarella has come up with an ingenious premise that is as twisted as it is thought-provoking.

— Randy Myers, Mercury News, 18 June 2026

Definition of provoking

Verb

Still, in a great credit to their organization, the Kansas City Chiefs stuck by him while others may have immediately cut him to avoid angering the sports media mob.

— Ian Miller OutKick, FOXNews.com, 23 Aug. 2026
On the second day of the Test, Woodfull was hit over the heart by Larwood, angering the 50,000-strong partisan crowd.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 19 Aug. 2026

Definition of angering

Adjective

Most aggravating for the Norwegian was having three putts hit the lip in a four-hole stretch on the back nine, two of them for birdie and one for par.

— ABC News, ABC News, 30 Aug. 2026
Other split-toe designs with smaller pockets can force the foot into a smaller space, aggravating hammertoes and neuromas.

— Karla Rodriguez, Footwear News, 24 Aug. 2026

Definition of aggravating

Verb

North Carolina and Bill Belichick got zero, no doubt enraging girlfriend Jordon Hudson.

— Greg Cote August 2, Miami Herald, 2 Aug. 2026
Before the agreement was announced, Israeli forces struck in Beirut, enraging Trump, who has publicly expressed his fury with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

— Tal Shalev, CNN Money, 15 June 2026

Definition of enraging

Adjective

Fine made headlines with inflammatory comments about Armenians (Bilzerian is Armenian-American) in addition to his rhetoric on Muslims.

— Joseph Strauss, Sun Sentinel, 31 Aug. 2026
After winning historic Latino support in 2024, Trump now faces collapsing approval as mass deportations, economic stagnation and inflammatory messaging like the bus graphic threaten GOP fortunes in the 2026 midterms.

— Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 29 Aug. 2026

Definition of inflammatory

Verb

But maybe that low point and the unexpected departure of Stokes and the return of Joe Root as Test captain ahead of the white-ball skipper has proved a turning point for one of the most gifted but infuriating batters of his generation.

— Paul Newman, New York Times, 23 Aug. 2026
There are a variety of reasons for this — from reasonable to infuriating — why those who paid higher prices won’t be getting refunds.

— Chris Isidore, CNN Money, 22 Aug. 2026

Definition of infuriating

Adjective

Adults’s Gen-Z characters tend to see their comforts as transient, their identities as mutable, and seriousness as an annoying obligation, all of which the second season pokes at a bit.

— Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 27 Aug. 2026
Fluctuating estrogen levels can disrupt the nerves responsible for your sense of scent, leading to this symptom that’s equally bizarre and annoying.

— Maggie Ryan, Flow Space, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of annoying

Adjective

Repeatedly taking your shoes off and on is time-consuming and exasperating.

— R. Eric Thomas, Mercury News, 22 Aug. 2026
So much for the rational part of an exasperating season that marked the first time since 2014 that the Chiefs failed to make the playoffs.

— Vahe Gregorian July 31, Kansas City Star, 31 July 2026

Definition of exasperating

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“Antagonizing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/antagonizing. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of antagonizing

adjective

verb

Example Sentences

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