Antipathy

Antipathy is a deep-seated feeling of aversion or dislike toward someone or something. It denotes an enduring emotional response that can shape judgments and behavior. The word comes from the Greek anti- meaning “against” and pathos meaning “feeling.”

In usage, antipathy is stronger than ordinary dislike and is often resistant to change. It can refer to attitudes toward persons, groups, ideas, or practices. People may feel antipathy toward someone as a result of prior experiences, perceived moral differences, cultural biases, or threatened status. The construction antipathy to or antipathy toward is common in English, as in “antipathy to/against the proposal” or “antipathy toward his colleague.”

Antipathy may lead to avoidance, reduced cooperation, sarcastic remarks, or even discrimination when extended beyond the personal level. While some antipathies may be based on real concerns, they can also reflect prejudice or cognitive biases that persist despite contrary evidence.

Related terms include aversion, repugnance, and enmity; the opposite of antipathy is sympathy or affinity. In analysis, antipathy is treated as an affective component of attitude formation and social relation dynamics.