antagonism
[an-tag-uh-niz-uh m]
- an active hostility or opposition, as between unfriendly or conflicting groups: the antagonism between the liberal and the conservative parties.
- an opposing force, principle, or tendency: Her plan to become an actress met with the antagonism of her family.
- Physiology. an opposing action, as by one muscle in relation to another.
- Biochemistry, Pharmacology. the opposing action of substances, as drugs, that when taken together decrease the effectiveness of at least one of them (contrasted with synergism).
- Ecology.
- a relationship between two species of organisms in which the individuals of each species adversely affect the other, as in competition.
- the inhibition of the growth of one type of organism by a different type that is competing for the same ecological niche.
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Origin of antagonism
Synonyms
See more synonyms for antagonism on Thesaurus.com1. conflict, friction, strife. 2. animosity.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for antagonism
Contemporary Examples
Work that alienates one reader to the point of antagonism can feel like a perfect fit to another.
Lars Iyer’s ‘Wittgenstein Jr.’ Plumbs the Deep Fun of Philosophical FictionDrew Smith
October 1, 2014
And the antagonism sure to be generated by such racial disparities was magnified by the sheer number of cases.
On more than one occasion, literal fights broke out behind closed doors, and the antagonism often fell along racial lines.
It is important not to set out on a path of antagonism towards the leaders in Israel and Palestine.
The antagonism between News Corp. and the BBC goes back a long way.
Historical Examples
The two men, formerly friends, were evidently in antagonism now.
A Spirit in PrisonRobert Hichens
And stranger still—why should he put himself in antagonism to its success?
There were other reasons for the antagonism of Plato to poetry.
The RepublicPlato
We write from aspiration and antagonism, as well as from experience.
Essays, First SeriesRalph Waldo Emerson
Despite this antagonism, there exists a deep attachment to the royal house.
Blood and IronJohn Hubert Greusel
antagonism
- openly expressed and usually mutual opposition
- the inhibiting or nullifying action of one substance or organism on another
- physiol the normal opposition between certain muscles
- biology the inhibition or interference of growth of one kind of organism by another
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Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for antagonism
n.
1797, from French antagonisme or directly from late Greek antagonisma, noun of action from antagonizesthai "to struggle against" (see antagonist).
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
antagonism
(ăn-tăg′ə-nĭz′əm)- Mutual opposition in action between structures, agents, diseases, or physiological processes.mutual resistance
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.