antagonism
/anˈtaɡ(ə)nɪz(ə)m
/noun [mass noun]
Active hostility or opposition: the antagonism between them his antagonism towards the local people [count noun]: petty antagonisms and jealousies...
- And there often is an assumption that it is about hostility or antagonism between men and women.
- The symbolic separation and opposition aside, the personal antagonism between the two men is not imagined by the media.
- The petty point-scoring highlights the deepening antagonism between the rivals.
Synonyms
hostility, friction, enmity, antipathy, animus, opposition, dissension, rivalry, feud, conflict, discord, contention;
acrimony, bitterness, rancour, resentment, aversion, dislike, ill feeling, bad feeling, ill will, bad blood, hatred, hate, loathing, detestation, abhorrence, odium;
malice, spite, spitefulness, venom, malevolence, malignity;
grudges, grievances
British informal needle
archaic disrelish
Origin
Early 19th century: from French antagonisme, from Greek antagōnizesthai 'struggle against' (see antagonist).