antagoniser

Senses

1. 1.

   to antagonize

   to make someone hostile or opposed to you

2. 2.

   to pit against

   to set in opposition or conflict with

Examples

• "Ses commentaires ont antagonisé plusieurs membres du groupe."

  His comments antagonized several members of the group.

• "Il ne faut pas antagoniser les autorités locales si on veut obtenir l'autorisation."

  You must not antagonize the local authorities if you want to get permission.

• "Cette politique risque d'antagoniser les deux régions l'une contre l'autre."

  This policy risks pitting the two regions against each other.

Usage

A somewhat formal verb, more common in written French and professional contexts. Often used reflexively (s'antagoniser) to mean "to become opposed to each other" or "to clash." Be careful not to confuse with the simpler verb "agacer" (to annoy) which has a milder sense.