1
as in enemy
one that is hostile toward another
please name the novel's hero and his antagonist
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in opponent
one that takes a position opposite another in a competition or conflict
his antagonist in the boxing match
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of antagonist
Musicians like D’Angelo, Nile Rodgers and George Clinton will weigh in, but the most interesting testimony might come from former bandmates, including the innovative bass player and noted Stone antagonist Larry Graham.
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Mike Hale, New York Times, 2 Jan. 2025
Kamal Haasan takes on the role of the antagonist Supreme Yaskin.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 31 Dec. 2024
The scientists discovered that this specific flavonoid acts as a microbiological antagonist in the gut that ultimately boosts the number of regulatory T cells (T-regs), which suppress the body’s allergic response.
—New Atlas, 30 Dec. 2024
Nightmare will serve as its primary antagonist, who will trap Marvel's heroes into their worst nightmares, which should make for some cool dungeons.
—David Faris, Newsweek, 29 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for antagonist 
Mike Hale, New York Times, 2 Jan. 2025
Kamal Haasan takes on the role of the antagonist Supreme Yaskin.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 31 Dec. 2024
The scientists discovered that this specific flavonoid acts as a microbiological antagonist in the gut that ultimately boosts the number of regulatory T cells (T-regs), which suppress the body’s allergic response.
—New Atlas, 30 Dec. 2024
Nightmare will serve as its primary antagonist, who will trap Marvel's heroes into their worst nightmares, which should make for some cool dungeons.
—David Faris, Newsweek, 29 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for antagonist
Recent Examples of Synonyms for antagonist
Noun
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The system is often the enemy in Eastwood’s movies.A.A. Dowd, Vulture, 13 Jan. 2025
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Historically the enemies of Christian America were secular humanists, feminists and then more recently Democrats and the woke.John Blake, CNN, 12 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Penn State’s defense has limited how often opponents score inside the red zone at the fourth-best rate in the nation.NBC News, NBC News, 10 Jan. 2025
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Thoughts now turn to Trudeau’s successor, with Conservative opponent Pierre Poilievre the favorite, although general elections won’t take place for some time.Max Goldbart, Deadline, 10 Jan. 2025
Noun
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The title is known for being a time-consuming game that requires hours of grinding to level up one's character to defeat foes.Michael Gfoeller And David H. Rundell, Newsweek, 15 Jan. 2025
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The mythology surrounding James himself likewise had many authors, all converging toward portraying him as a dashing foe of the bankers and railroad barons who had come to represent the inequities of America’s Gilded Age.Joshua Hunt, New York Times, 15 Jan. 2025
Noun
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What To Know Fico this week faced sharp criticism from his political rival Michal Šimečka over a trip to Moscow on December 22 to meet Putin.Michael Gfoeller And David H. Rundell, Newsweek, 16 Jan. 2025
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But Hamas’ main rival, the Palestinian Authority, has little credibility among Gaza’s residents.Asher Kaufman, The Conversation, 16 Jan. 2025
Noun
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The task facing Americans, allies, and even foreign adversaries is to ensure that the promise of Trump’s second term prevails over its peril.Charles A. Kupchan, The Atlantic, 10 Jan. 2025
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Many of these countries already face US sanctions because they have been deemed US adversaries or have militias that the US has labeled terrorist groups.Kate Irwin, PCMAG, 10 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near antagonist
Cite this Entry
“Antagonist.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/antagonist. Accessed 21 Jan. 2025.
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