antagonize

The former official asked not to be named because they work in public health and don’t want to antagonize the current administration.

From Salon ● Apr. 4, 2026

Why would he show up and antagonize the justices?

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 2, 2026

There is more willingness to embrace the youth vote, rather than antagonize it, as far as campaign strategy goes.

From Slate ● Aug. 19, 2024

“When we are fighting for our survival, we can’t afford to antagonize either Biden or Trump,” Mr. Merezhko said.

From New York Times ● Apr. 19, 2024

“Mister...ah...Foaly. You have obviously not studied your psych texts. It is not wise to antagonize the hostage-taker. I may be unstable.”

From "Artemis Fowl" by Eoin Colfer

However, naltrexone, in both short- and long-acting forms, has the opposite pharmacology: it antagonizes mu receptors, occupying them without activating them.

From Scientific American ● Sep. 13, 2023

The border with Pakistan is sometimes closed and sometimes open, a fitful pattern that antagonizes the Afghan pomegranate farmers and buyers to no end as they try to time their harvests, sales and exports.

From New York Times ● Nov. 21, 2021

It doesn’t stop the smoldering resentment that I feel deep down when she antagonizes me.

From Slate ● Aug. 30, 2019

A young man from Harlem joins a Southern university’s marching band but antagonizes the musical director and its leader.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 19, 2019

Nothing worries and antagonizes a female bear more than to have people between her and her brood.

From "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson

Some also contend the deal has unnecessarily antagonized China, Australia’s main trading partner.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2025

When a person goes to the store and finds almost everything locked up behind plastic because of shoplifting, they may feel antagonized and triggered.

From Salon ● Aug. 19, 2025

So, people who are sophisticated litigators often don’t do that because it so often fails, and all you’re left with is an angered and antagonized judge who you’ve just called biased.

From Slate ● Apr. 11, 2024

Instead, he says, the experiment merely shows that, when antagonized the snakes are likely to put up a more spirited defense.

From Science Magazine ● Apr. 3, 2024

He was deeply antagonized by these men, but he knew they were simply carrying out a job assigned to them.

From "Across Five Aprils" by Irene Hunt

He did so to avoid antagonizing parts of the political and religious establishment that categorically reject hereditary or dynastic succession.

From Salon ● Mar. 6, 2026

She needs to maintain her popular tough stance on China without overly antagonizing Japan’s No. 2 customer for exports.

From Barron's ● Feb. 10, 2026

In it, more realities of the killing are clarified: Good wasn’t antagonizing the agent, and she didn’t turn her wheels to try to hit him, but instead to drive away slowly.

From Slate ● Jan. 13, 2026

At the heart of the case was the late Frank Carson, a veteran Modesto defense attorney with a pugilistic style who delighted in antagonizing police and prosecutors.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 17, 2025

I was not afraid, because Togbe had taught me that most animals only attacked if threatened, and out here I had a chance to meet them without anyone else antagonizing them.

From "Flying Through Water" by Mamle Wolo