antagonize
/ænˈtæɡ.ɪ.naɪz/verb
antagonize is spelled A-N-T-A-G-O-N-I-Z-E: 10 letters and 4 syllables. It appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 48,230th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, antagonize means “To work against; to oppose (especially to incite a reaction)” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in antagonize?
| Letters | 10: A-N-T-A-G-O-N-I-Z-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 3 million words; the 48,230th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is antagonize?
Antagonize appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 48,230th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce antagonize?
- UK /ænˈtæɡ.ɪ.naɪz/
- US /ænˈtæɡ.ɪ.naɪz/
- US [ɛənˈtæɡ.ɪ.naɪz]
Antagonize has 4 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vininn126-antagonize.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with antagonize?
One word on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as antagonize from its last stressed vowel (/æɡɪnaɪz/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of antagonize
- antagonizes present, singular, he/she/it
- antagonizing participle, present
- antagonized participle, past
- antagonise
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does antagonize mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To work against; to oppose (especially to incite a reaction).
The other children constantly antagonized Joe to the point of tears.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Antagonize in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense to oppose:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | contrarier, antagoniser |
| German | antagonisieren, entgegenwirken, bekämpfen, zu seinem Gegner machen, anfeinden, provozieren |
| Portuguese | antagonizar |
| Spanish | antagonizar, contrariar |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does antagonize come from?
From Ancient Greek ἀνταγωνίζομαι (antagōnízomai), from ἀντι- (anti-) + ἀγωνίζομαι (agōnízomai). By surface analysis, ant- + agon + -ize.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).