What does antagonism mean?
Word: Antagonism
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Antagonism means strong dislike or hostility between people or groups.
Synonyms: hostility, enmity, opposition, rivalry
Antonyms: friendship, goodwill
How do you spell antagonism?
Syllables: an - tag - o - nism
Tricky part: The vowels after ant are a then o. A weak middle sound tempts students to write antaganism or antogonism.
Watch out for: antaganism, antogonism, antagenism
Memory tip: An antagonist is the villain who opposes the hero, and antagonism is the bad feeling between them: both begin antagon.
Antagonism in a sentence
Example 1: There was open antagonism between the two neighbours over the parking space.
Example 2: The coach worked hard to end the antagonism inside the team.
Example 3: Years of antagonism ended when the two villages built a school together.
Fun Fact
In the body, muscles work in pairs. When the biceps bends your arm, the triceps on the other side is called the antagonist muscle.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Connection
Choose the antonym of the word:
antagonism
a) harmony
b) resentment
c) friction
d) bitterness
Show answer
a) harmony. Bitterness, friction and resentment are all part of antagonism; harmony means getting along.
Word Cookie
Find the extra letter in the word:
antagonisim
a) a
b) s
c) o
d) i
Show answer
d) i. The ending is ism, as in tourism, with no vowel between the s and the m.
Mingle-Mangle
Form a meaningful word from the jumbled letters:
mognaistan
a) anatomist
b) nationalism
c) antagonism
d) antagonise
Show answer
c) antagonism. Look for the m and the g: anatomist has two t's and no g, antagonise needs an e, and nationalism an l.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. What could start antagonism between two neighbours?
a) a shared party at New Year
b) a gift of sweets on a birthday
c) a wall built on someone else's land
d) a polite greeting each morning
Show answer
c) a wall built on someone else's land
2. Which shows antagonism?
a) a friendly wave across the road
b) a quiet thank-you note
c) sharing lunch at school
d) cold stares and angry words
Show answer
d) cold stares and angry words
