Antipathy

Quick meaning: Antipathy is a noun meaning (countable) A person or thing that one has a (deep) feeling of dislike or repugnance towards; an anathema, a bête noire, a bugbear.

Meaning

(countable) A person or thing that one has a (deep) feeling of dislike or repugnance towards; an anathema, a bête noire, a bugbear.

More Meanings

1. (countable, obsolete) A person or thing that has a (deep) feeling of dislike or repugnance towards another person or thing; a hater.
2. (botany) The quality of being antipathetic: not easily united by grafting.
3. (uncountable) Natural contrariety or incompatibility between things, as a result of which they negatively affect or oppose each other; (countable) an instance of this.
4. (uncountable) Often followed by against, between, for, or to: a (deep) feeling of dislike or repugnance, normally towards a person and less often towards a thing, often without any conscious reasoning; aversion, distaste, hostility; (countable) an instance of this.

Example Sentences

A Sect, vvhoſe chief Devotion lies / In odde perverſe Antipathies; / In falling out vvith that or this, / And finding ſomevvhat ſtill amiſs: […]

Ever since the fatal night, the end of my labours, and the beginning of my misfortunes, I had conceived a violent antipathy even to the name of natural philosophy.

For of our Alphabet the .P. doth omenouſly begin / Of theſe this much diſtaſted Ranck, […] vvere other Rankes not free / Of Publique-vveales Antipathie, prooling and peruerſe, P.

Truly I am one very likely to encourage romance in any young lady! Did you ever know me to patronise moonlight walks, or talk even forgivingly of cottages and roses? and have I not a natural antipathy to honeysuckle?

Word Forms

• antipathies

Synonyms for antipathy

Depending on context, synonyms include contrariety, disgust, enmity, hatred, opposition, aversion.

Antonyms for antipathy

Common opposites include sympathy.

Related Words

Related dictionary entries include aversion, distaste, dislike, revulsion, hate, hatred.

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