Antagonized

/ænˈtæɡənɪzd/ verb (past tense)

Definition

Made hostile or turned into an opponent; provoked someone into opposition or enmity.

Etymology

Past tense of antagonize, from Greek anti- 'against' + agonizesthai 'to struggle, compete'. The -ed suffix marks this as completed action in English.

Kelly Says

The passive voice 'was antagonized' is psychologically interesting because it puts the person experiencing hostility in the role of victim rather than aggressor—how a conflict is described linguistically shapes how people understand who's responsible.

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