1. to make someone hostile or angry; to provoke opposition in
Usage: British spelling; American English uses 'antagonize'; transitive verb
2. to act in opposition to; to work against
Usage: formal or technical usage

Examples

• His rude comments antagonised the entire team.
• Don't antagonise your boss if you want a promotion.
• The new policy antagonised many employees who felt undervalued.
• She didn't mean to antagonise him; it was just a misunderstanding.
• The two groups have antagonised each other for years.
• His aggressive tone antagonised the audience rather than persuading them.