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A/Antagonistic
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Antagonistic

Hostile; showing opposition or acting against others

adjective
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Imagine This

Imagine a group of ants that are are agonized because they are driven away from their home by army ants, and they group together to protest (oppose) against the army ants.

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Sounds Like

an-TAG-uh-NIS-tik

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Looks Like

Looks like 'ant' + 'agon' + 'istic'; visually reminiscent of 'antagonist'.

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Remember This

The root idea is opposition or conflict. Antagonistic shares its root with antagonist (a person who opposes the protagonist) and relates to hostile, opposing relationships in literature and psychology.

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Other Forms

Antagonistnoun
Antagonismnoun
Antagonizeverb
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Connect With

antagonist, antagonize, hostility, opposition, adversarial, inimical

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Note

Do not confuse antagonistic with antagonize (verb). Antagonistic is the descriptive form; antagonize means to provoke or irritate. Both derive from the same anti- 'against' concept.

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Study Deeper

Examples
  • The two rival companies maintained an antagonistic relationship that hindered negotiations.
  • Her remarks during the meeting were antagonistic and unproductive.
Synonyms
hostileoppositionaladversarialinimicalconfrontational
Antonyms
friendlycooperativeharmonious
Etymology

From Greek antagonistikos, from anti- 'against' + agon 'contest' (based on agon- 'contest, struggle').

Mnemonic

Mnemonic: anti- (against) + agon (contest) + istic (pertaining to). Remember that someone who is antagonistic is 'against the contest' or opposing it.

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To shorten (a text, speech, or other work) by omitting parts; to condense.

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Happening by chance or without deliberate planning; not intended. In music, it is also a noun for a symbol that temporarily alters a pitch.

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Rigid in opinion or purpose; not willing to change one's mind or position.

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