antagonizing 1 of 2

adjective

as in provoking

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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
  1. provoking
  2. angering
  3. aggravating
  4. enraging
  5. inflammatory
  6. infuriating
  7. annoying
  8. exasperating
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
  • Israel’s far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich faces a fight for political survival in elections in October after angering his fellow West Bank settlers by voting not to punish ultra-Orthodox Jews who refuse to serve in the military.
    — Reuters, NBC news, 7 Aug. 2026
  • And the thousandth cut came when Raman launched her mayoral campaign without first consulting the local DSA chapter, angering organizers who felt the race stretched their resources too thin.
    — Maxwell Adler, Vanity Fair, 29 July 2026
Definition of angering
Adjective
  • These tiny insects are a summertime nuisance that prey on people, pets, and wildlife, including birds, leaving behind an aggravating itch that can last for more than a week.
    — Barbara Gillette, The Spruce, 22 July 2026
  • Arguments like this go back and forth and round and round, both sides—both truths—defining, aggravating, intensifying one another.
    — Kyle Devine, Longreads, 14 July 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
  • Ultimately, GLP-1s are turning out to be metabolic and inflammatory drugs that happen to cause weight loss, rather than weight loss drugs with a long list of coincidental improvements.
    — Jesse M. Pines, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026
  • But Ogles, a member of the House Freedom Caucus, was also beset by a history of inflammatory remarks, including calling for a ban on immigration from mostly Muslim countries.
    — Mabinty Quarshie, The Washington Examiner, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of inflammatory
Verb
  • Despite his rakish lifestyle, Don Juan falls in love with innocent Adriana, infuriating the envious Lucrezia Borgia (Estelle Taylor), who plots to ruin the young lovers’ nascent romance.
    — Air Mail, Air Mail, 8 Aug. 2026
  • Speaking to them on the phone is infuriating since most of the conversation is about what’s going on with Kaden.
    — Jeanne Phillips, Mercury News, 17 July 2026
Definition of infuriating
Adjective
  • The best mascaras for older women help coat lashes with color while addressing the annoying issues that come with age.
    — Micaela English, Glamour, 14 Aug. 2026
  • First, dust the surface to eliminate any annoying dust and dirt particles.
    — Nafeesah Allen, Better Homes & Gardens, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of annoying
Adjective
  • 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
  • With the Angels, Mozeliak not only must overcome a losing culture, but also navigate a relationship with Moreno, a challenge his predecessors found exasperating.
    — Ken Rosenthal, New York Times, 30 June 2026
Definition of exasperating

Browse Nearby Words

antagonizes
antagonizing
ante
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Cite this Entry

“Antagonizing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/antagonizing. Accessed 18 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on antagonizing

Nglish: Translation of antagonizing for Spanish Speakers

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