Definitions
from The Century Dictionary.
- Contending against; acting in opposition; mutually opposing; opposite.
- noun Something that acts in an antagonistic manner; specifically, a muscle whose action counteracts that of another.
- In the psychology of visual sensation, complementary: as, blue and yellow are antagonistic colors.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- adjective Opposing in combat, combating; contending or acting against.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- adjective
Contending or acting against; as, antagonistic forces.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- adjective characterized by antagonism or antipathy
- adjective indicating opposition or resistance
- adjective incapable of harmonious association
- adjective arousing animosity or hostility
- adjective used especially of drugs or muscles that counteract or neutralize each other's effect
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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But the effect of this is to place them in antagonistic relations in reference to the fiscal action of the government and the entire course of policy therewith connected.
Write Your Calhounian Class Autobiography, Bryan Caplan | EconLog | Library of Economics and Liberty 2009
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Charging that the General Assembly of Illinois, as well as those of the other states, contain antagonistic elements which have retarded progress at the state level, the report recited how the labour movement, more and more, carries its appeals to the federal government.
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There was, as Margaret truly said, but one right and one wrong; the painful right, and the pleasant wrong, stood now in antagonistic contrast to each other.
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They reinforce the notion of antagonistic policing, rather than the consensual, even contractual law enforcement that has, at least notionally, been the traditional mark of the copper on his beat.
John Terry’s sacking as England captain tells us something interesting... 2009
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They reinforce the notion of antagonistic policing, rather than the consensual, even contractual law enforcement that has, at least notionally, been the traditional mark of the copper on his beat.
Ian Tomlinson 2009
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In the first case, you can call the antagonistic principle “the existing order,” in the second, “antiquated prejudice.”
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The prevalent mode of social interaction today is what David Riesman, in The Lonely Crowd, referred to as antagonistic cooperation, in which a cult of teamwork conceals the struggle for survival within bureaucratic organizations.
Corrupt Sports: An Exchange Foner, Eric 1977
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These color-pairs are known as antagonistic or complementary colors.
The Science of Human Nature A Psychology for Beginners William Henry Pyle
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And these two conditions we may call antagonistic, as far as our efforts at practical settlement are concerned.
The History of Australian Exploration from 1788 to 1888 Ernest Favenc 1876
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This combination has been well called antagonistic coöperation.
Folkways A Study of the Sociological Importance of Usages, Manners, Customs, Mores, and Morals William Graham Sumner 1875
dmcleod0914 commented on the word antagonistic
"I kept my eyes down as I went to sit by him, bewildered by the antagonistic stare he'd given me."--Twilight, Stephenie Meyer, pg.23
October 1, 2010