What does antipathetical mean?
Antipathetical is an adjective describing a deep-seated aversion, hostility, or natural opposition toward a person, idea, or thing. Someone who is antipathetical to a policy, a style, or an institution feels an instinctive resistance to it rather than mere disagreement. The word derives from the Greek root 'pathos' (feeling), the same root underlying sympathy, empathy, and apathy — but where those terms describe shared or absent feeling, antipathetical denotes feeling set firmly against. It is closely related to, and largely interchangeable with, the shorter form 'antipathetic', which is more common in contemporary usage; 'antipathetical' survives chiefly in formal, literary, and academic contexts. It should not be confused with 'antithetical', which describes logical or conceptual opposition rather than emotional hostility. Synonyms include averse, hostile, antagonistic, and repugnant.
adjectiveHaving or showing a deep-seated feeling of aversion, opposition, or hostility toward something or someone; naturally opposed or repugnant to.
- Feeling or characterized by strong aversion, dislike, or hostility toward someone or something.
- Being naturally opposed to, or incompatible with, a person, idea, or thing.
"He was antipathetical to any form of bureaucracy, resisting even the simplest paperwork."
"She was antipathetical to the new management's policies from the very first meeting."
"The two scholars were so antipathetical in temperament that collaboration proved impossible."
It shares its Greek root 'pathos' — feeling — with both 'sympathy' and 'empathy', but points that feeling in exactly the opposite direction.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of antipathetical
Antipathetical derives from the Greek 'antipatheia', formed from 'anti-' (against) combined with 'pathos' (feeling or suffering), giving the sense of feeling opposed to something. The term passed into Latin and then into English, where both 'antipathetic' and 'antipathetical' emerged as adjectival forms, the latter following the pattern of '-ical' suffixes common in learned vocabulary. It shares its root with sympathy, empathy, apathy, and pathos itself.
Related word forms
How antipathetical is actually used
Formal and somewhat literary in register; in everyday modern usage the shorter form 'antipathetic' is far more common, and 'antipathetical' often appears in academic or critical writing.
Easily confused with antipathetical
Antithetical means directly opposed or contrasted in character or idea, while antipathetical means feeling or provoking active aversion or hostility.
Antipathetic and antipathetical are essentially variant forms of the same word with the same meaning of aversion or hostility; 'antipathetic' is the more common form today.