agonistic
Americanadjective
-
combative; striving to overcome in argument.
-
straining for effect.
agonistic humor.
-
of or relating to ancient Greek athletic contests.
-
Ethology. pertaining to the range of activities associated with aggressive encounters between members of the same species, including threat, attack, appeasement, or retreat.
adjective
-
striving for effect; strained
-
eager to win in discussion or argument; competitive
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of agonistic
1640–50; < Greek agōnistikós, equivalent to agōnist ( ḗs ) agonist + -ikos -ic
Explanation
Agonistic is an adjective that means argumentative. Your agonistic attitude might get you in trouble if you're constantly telling people they're wrong. The ancient Olympics were actually called agones, which meant a struggle to achieve glory. So today, agonistic also refers to anything related to these ancient Greek athletic competitions. The marathon, for example, was an early agonistic event. Don't confuse agonistic with the similarly spelled "agnostic," a person who believes it's impossible to know whether or not God exists. However, if you get into a religious argument with an agnostic, you might find them to be very agonistic.
Vocabulary lists containing agonistic
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
These vocalisations were of the affiliative type, i.e. linked to a positive interaction, or of the agonistic type, i.e. linked to a threat or distress.
From Science Daily ● Dec. 19, 2023
About 31 percent of Latino Democrats are not religiously affiliated, which includes those that identify as atheist, agonistic or “nothing in particular,” while 27 percent of Latino Republicans are unaffiliated.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 21, 2023
"When we looked at this factor that we called agonistic threshold, which included a lot of questions about whether people's dogs reacted aggressively to things, we weren't seeing an effective breed ancestry," Karlsson said.
From Salon ● May 4, 2022
But I would say that most of my influences are positive rather than agonistic.
From The New Yorker ● Apr. 3, 2019
Like the gymnastic and agonistic arts, the dance retained its original purity as long as public morality prevailed in Greece: its connection with religious worship preserved it from neglect.
From Museum of Antiquity A Description of Ancient Life by T. L. (Thomas Louis) Haines
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
