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ANTAGONISM
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I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
(biochemistry) interference in or inhibition of the physiological action of a chemical substance by another having a similar structure
Classified under:
Nouns denoting acts or actions
Hypernyms ("antagonism" is a kind of...):
hinderance; hindrance; interference (the act of hindering or obstructing or impeding)
Domain category:
biochemistry (the organic chemistry of compounds and processes occurring in organisms; the effort to understand biology within the context of chemistry)
Derivation:
antagonist (a drug that neutralizes or counteracts the effects of another drug)
antagonistic (used especially of drugs or muscles that counteract or neutralize each other's effect)
Sense 2
Meaning:
An actively expressed feeling of dislike and hostility
Classified under:
Nouns denoting feelings and emotions
Hypernyms ("antagonism" is a kind of...):
dislike (a feeling of aversion or antipathy)
enmity; hostility; ill will (the feeling of a hostile person)
Derivation:
antagonise (provoke the hostility of)
antagonist (someone who offers opposition)
antagonistic (arousing animosity or hostility)
antagonize (provoke the hostility of)
Sense 3
Meaning:
The relation between opposing principles or forces or factors
Example:
the inherent antagonism of capitalism and socialism
Classified under:
Nouns denoting relations between people or things or ideas
Hypernyms ("antagonism" is a kind of...):
oppositeness; opposition (the relation between opposed entities)
Derivation:
antagonise (act in opposition to)
antagonist (someone who offers opposition)
antagonistic (characterized by antagonism or antipathy)
antagonistic (indicating opposition or resistance)
Sense 4
Meaning:
A state of deep-seated ill-will
Synonyms:
antagonism; enmity; hostility
Classified under:
Nouns denoting stable states of affairs
Hypernyms ("antagonism" is a kind of...):
state (the way something is with respect to its main attributes)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "antagonism"):
latent hostility; tension (feelings of hostility that are not manifest)
state of war; war (a legal state created by a declaration of war and ended by official declaration during which the international rules of war apply)
cold war (a state of political hostility between countries using means short of armed warfare)
suspicion (the state of being suspected)
Instance hyponyms:
Cold War (a state of political hostility that existed from 1945 until 1990 between countries led by the Soviet Union and countries led by the United States)
Derivation:
antagonise (provoke the hostility of)
antagonist (someone who offers opposition)
antagonistic (incapable of harmonious association)
antagonistic (characterized by antagonism or antipathy)
antagonize (provoke the hostility of)
Context examples:
The speaker, a clever Jew, won Martin's admiration at the same time that he aroused his antagonism.
(Martin Eden, by Jack London)
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