Synonyms of antagonize
75 similar words · 2 opposite words
Another word for antagonize is bother. Other synonyms of antagonize are oppose, devil, trouble, hassle and provoke. The opposite of antagonize is appease.
Synonyms and similar words for antagonize
verbTo work against; to oppose (especially to incite a reaction).
- harass
- opposeTo attempt to stop the progression of; to resist or antagonize by physical means, or by arguments, etc.; to contend...
- pester
- aggravateTo exasperate; to provoke or irritate.
- annoy
- nettle
- rankle
- ruffle
- sting
- burn someone's assTo irritate, bother, grind one's gears.
- botherTo annoy, to disturb, to irritate; to be troublesome to, to make trouble for.
- disgruntleTo make discontent or cross; to put in a bad temper.
- botherateTo bother.
- bug
- get
- grate
- burn upTo anger; to annoy.
- bedevilTo harass or cause trouble for; to plague.
- acerbate formal
- cheese off slangTo annoy.
- devilTo annoy or bother.
- exasperateTo tax the patience of; irk, frustrate, vex, provoke, annoy; to make angry.
- frustrateTo cause stress or annoyance.
- get up
- grotch
- hack off
- hassleTo trouble, to bother, to annoy.
- irkTo irritate; annoy; bother.
- irritateTo provoke impatience, anger, or displeasure in.
- jazz
- molestTo annoy, trouble, or afflict.
- mommick US, dialectalTo harass or bother (someone or something).
- narkTo annoy or irritate.
- pee off slangSynonym of piss off (all senses).
- peeveTo annoy; vex.
- peeve offSynonym of annoy or piss off.
- persecute
- piqueTo wound the pride of (someone); to excite to anger; to irritate, to offend.
- piss off vulgarTo annoy, anger.
- provokeTo cause someone to become annoyed or angry.
- rileTo stir or move from a state of calm or order.
- rile upTo rile; to aggravate.
- roilTo annoy; to make angry; to throw into discord.
- stormTo disturb or trouble (someone).
- test someone's patienceTo begin to frustrate someone.
- tick off Canada, USTo annoy, aggravate.
- troubleIn weaker sense: to bother or inconvenience.
- try one's patience
- vexTo annoy, irritate.
- wind upTo upset; to anger or distress.
- Idioms:
- boil someone's piss vulgarTo irritate someone very much; to make someone very annoyed.
- chap someone's hideTo annoy someone; get on someone's nerves.
- get on someone's nervesTo annoy or irritate someone; to bother someone.
- get on someone's tits vulgarTo annoy or irritate.
- get on someone's wickTo annoy or upset someone, especially by repeated disagreeable actions.
- get someone's back upTo annoy or anger someone.
- get someone's dander upTo anger or annoy someone.
- get someone's goatTo annoy or infuriate someone.
- get someone's Irish upTo anger or annoy someone.
- get someone's nanny
- get someone's nanny-goat
- get under one's goat
- get under someone's skin
- give someone the shits Australia, colloquialTo annoy or frustrate someone to a great degree.
- grind one's gearsTo annoy or irritate one.
- harsh one's mellowTo spoil one's good mood or to annoy one.
- put someone's back upSynonym of get someone's back up: to annoy someone.
- raise someone's hacklesTo annoy or anger someone.
- rub someone the wrong wayTo cause someone irritation, discomfort or annoyance, often unintentionally, because of one's behavior, manner...
- rub up the wrong wayTo annoy or anger someone.
- ruffle someone's feathersTo unease, cause discomfort to someone.
- tee off slangTo irritate, vex, or annoy.
- torque off USTo annoy, distress, or anger.
- nerve rare
Opposite of antagonize
Meaning of antagonize
- verb To work against; to oppose (especially to incite a reaction).
antagonize in other languages
Questions about synonyms of antagonize
- What is another word for antagonize?
- Antagonize has 75 synonyms on Word.ws, such as bother, oppose, devil, trouble, hassle, provoke, irritate and pique.
- What is the opposite of antagonize?
- The opposite of antagonize is appease.
- What does antagonize mean?
- Antagonize means to work against; to oppose (especially to incite a reaction).
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: antagonize (page history and authors) and the entries of the words listed. Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws grouped the synonyms and antonyms by meaning and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
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Cite this page: “Synonyms of antagonize.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/synonyms/antagonize. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.