antagonism

antagonism — noun

1. a strong feeling of dislike or anger that one person or group shows openly towar

1.nounC1
Definition

a strong feeling of dislike or anger that one person or group shows openly toward another, often leading to arguments or unfriendly behaviour.

Example

There was clear antagonism between Beatriz and her stepfather throughout the family dinner.

antagonism between X and Y

The mayor's speech stirred up open antagonism toward the new factory project.

antagonism toward + target

Common collocations
  • deep antagonism
  • open antagonism
  • personal antagonism
  • stir up antagonism
  • provoke antagonism
Synonyms
  • hostility

    very close in meaning; slightly more common in everyday writing

  • animosity

    more formal; emphasises long-standing personal hatred

  • enmity

    literary; suggests deep, lasting hostility between enemies

  • ill will

    milder; a quiet wish that someone fails rather than open conflict

Antonyms
  • friendship

    warm personal bond; opposite of open dislike

  • goodwill

    general kindly attitude toward others

Grammar Patterns

antagonism between + noun + and + noun

antagonism toward + noun

Usage Note

Usually uncountable and abstract; the source of the feeling is marked with 'toward(s)' or 'against', and the parties involved are linked with 'between'. Stronger and more public than 'dislike' — it suggests the feeling is openly expressed.

Common Mistakes

She has antagonism with her sister.
There is antagonism between her and her sister.
pair the two parties with 'between … and …', not 'with'.
He showed an antagonism to the plan.
He showed antagonism toward the plan.
usually uncountable, so no 'an'.

2. the way two ideas, principles, or forces work against each other, so that the ac

2.nounC2
Definition

the way two ideas, principles, or forces work against each other, so that the action of one weakens or cancels out the other.

Example

The novel explores the antagonism between personal freedom and social duty in modern Taiwan.

antagonism between + abstract noun + and + abstract noun

Physicists study the antagonism between gravity and the outward push of hot gas inside a star.

antagonism between [force] and [force]

Common collocations
  • fundamental antagonism
  • inherent antagonism
  • antagonism between forces
  • antagonism between principles
Synonyms
  • conflict

    more general; can describe people, ideas, or events

  • opposition

    neutral; simply 'standing against', without the sense of cancelling out

  • tension

    softer; suggests an unresolved pull between two forces

Antonyms
  • harmony

    the parts work together smoothly rather than against each other

  • synergy

    two forces combine to produce a stronger joint effect

Grammar Patterns

antagonism between + noun + and + noun

Usage Note

Distinct from sense 1: no person needs to be angry — the 'antagonism' is between abstract things (ideas, drives, forces). Common in academic, scientific, and critical writing. Often paired with abstract pairs like 'theory and practice' or 'individual and society'.

Common Mistakes

The antagonism of light against dark in the painting.
The antagonism between light and dark in the painting.
use 'between … and …' to link the two opposing things.

Word family

  • antagonist
    nounC1
  • antagonistic
    adjectiveC2
  • antagonize
    verbC2
  • antagonistically
    adverbC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four describe an unfriendly feeling toward someone, but they differ in tone and how openly the feeling shows. 'Hostility' is the most common and direct: it covers any clearly unfriendly behaviour, from a cold tone of voice to open aggression. 'Antagonism' is similar but emphasises that the dislike is being acted out — through arguments, opposition, or repeated unfriendly moves. 'Animosity' shifts attention to the inner feeling: a strong, often long-held bitterness, frequently between people who once knew each other well. 'Enmity' is the most literary, suggesting deep, lasting hatred between declared enemies. Compare: 'There was hostility in his voice' (tone), 'their public antagonism' (acted out), 'old animosity between the brothers' (private, lasting), 'enmity between the two clans' (formal, long-standing).

antagonism ↗hostility ↗animosityenmity

Common collocations

Nouns

  • class antagonism
  • racial antagonism
  • personal antagonism
  • political antagonism

Adverbs

Phrases

  • stir up antagonism
  • provoke antagonism
  • feel antagonism toward
  • long-standing antagonism

Prepositions

  • antagonism between
  • antagonism toward
  • antagonism against

Etymology

GreekFrenchEnglish

Borrowed into English in the early 1800s from French 'antagonisme', which came from Greek 'antagōnisma' — the noun form of 'antagōnízesthai' meaning 'to struggle against'. The Greek roots are 'anti-' (against) and 'agōn' (a contest or struggle, the same root as 'agony'). The word first described a physical or sporting struggle, then widened to cover hostile feelings between people, and later took on its modern abstract use for opposing forces, ideas, or biological actions.