How Each Zodiac Sign Deals With Enemies

Vanessa Hardcastle
Published January 28, 2020

We all have those people in our lives with whom we just can’t see eye to eye. Some of these folks may be nothing more than a constant annoyance, sort of like a mosquito buzzing around your head, just out of your reach.

When they become more than a pain in the butt, when they step on your toes, get in the way of that promotion you want or even find a way to steal the attention from you – we verge on enemy territory. There are many delicious ways to handle these sinister pests – and each sign of the zodiac has the power to strike back.

Today we’ll look at two ways to handle your horoscope enemies and zodiac rivals– how to take the high road (Light side) and how to get some down and dirty payback (Shadow side).

Aries

Light side: Beat them at their own game

Your intense, competitive nature should serve you well here, for when you set your mind to achieving a goal, nothing can stop you but your own lack of interest. If your enemy as an Aries is competing with you for that promotion – be better, work harder and stay later than them.

If you are in competition for a friend or lover, just be your shiny, enthusiastic self – you probably don’t need to do much to beat your enemy, other than keep your temper and impatience in check.

Shadow side: Make them look like a Debbie Downer

Aries are known to be positive and energetic, you don’t understand why people focus on the negative when there are so many wonderful things to lend your attention to! To beat your enemy, be the happiest, smiliest, most cheerful person in the room.

This will serve to punctuate how much of a loser they are, and wouldn’t everyone rather bask in the sunshine of your personality than in the shadows of their doldrums?

Taurus

Light side: Avoid the drama

Grounded Taurus doesn’t get emotionally wrapped up in drama – you’re actually averse to this low style of play. You always speak well of those you care for, and if you don’t like someone, you simply ignore them or make sure they have no place in your life.

When it comes to your zodiac sign’s enemies, if you even pay attention to that negativity (You’re more likely to think wasting energy on noticing someone so lame is useless and offensive. Taurus’s have much more important things to worry about!), all you really need to do is not show a reaction.

It might make them come for you even harder, but really, the more they attack your calm, reasonable character, the more insane and spiteful they will look.

Shadow side: Make them look like jealous blowhards

Taurus has many terrific attributes; two that apply here are your good taste and your collection of material wealth. Taurus is drawn to the finer things in life and usually finds a way to surround themselves in beauty.

If you want to make your enemy look bad, quietly showcase your gorgeous new purse, your cool car, your elegant jewelry. You’re just being you, but their green-eyed monster will come out, making them look desperately second place in your lovely shadow, and you won’t become one of the most hated zodiac signs.

Gemini

Light side: Use your brain

If you make an enemy, Gemini, the most constructive way to beat them is by using your brain. You are highly skilled at communication and have an answer for everything. If you find yourself being smack talked by your enemy, the high ground for you is to simply beat them down with words.

If they’re trying to make you look dumb, pull out the right answer from your database of weird information. In the end, they’ll look like they don’t know what they’re talking about and you’ll look like a champ.

Shadow side: Gossip. Plain and simple

Geminis make for powerful zodiac sign enemies – you hold all the dirty gossip about everyone, making you one of the most hated zodiac signs – it’s in your nature to collect tidbits you can use for entertainment, plus you are the zodiac’s primo communicators.

You can talk a sweet game, so if all other efforts have failed in dealing with your enemy, spread some rumors about them! The best lies have a grain of truth, so dig into your memory stores and pull out just enough familiarity in relation to their lives to make it sound like they said it – and paint the room with slander.

Cancer

Light side: Communication

Two of your best traits are your loyalty and nurturing powers. Once someone has earned your trust, Cancers are friends for life and will do almost anything to protect and help the ones they cherish. If your horoscope enemies are trying to dirty your name, honestly ask them if they’re going through a hard time and need your help.

This will be hard, as you don’t take well to criticism, but for all you know, they may have been hurt by something you said, and are reacting to that. Speak positively about them, no matter what they say about you. By using your natural powers, you are actively trying to reach out to someone and if they still have harsh words for you, they’ll look spiteful and mean. You might even end up turning your zodiac rivals into your friends.

Shadow side: Cut them off

While your nature is not direct, if your enemy is someone in your social circle, talk to your other friends about how poorly they’ve treated you, how you’ve tried to connect and heal wounds, but they continue to hurt you.

Your friends are so used to you being kind and protective of them, they’ll jump at the chance to return the favor and it will likely turn out that the enemy will be shunned by everyone else, no longer invited to parties or nights out.

Leo

Light side: Outshine them

Leo has a massive capacity to entertain – your love of the spotlight would lead you to be natural performers, actors, musicians or stand-up comics. You know exactly how to pull the attention away from everyone else in the room, and how to hold a crowd in your thrall.

If your enemy is trying to show you up in some way, simply outshine them. You’ve been practicing in your mirror, your shower and your car, so really, it should just be a matter of goading them to challenge you to something you excel at – karaoke, a dance-off, a cook-off, a runway walk-off.

Whatever you choose, make sure you stomp all over them and come off looking like the golden child you are.

Shadow side: Leave them out completely

Social Leo, you’re probably an amazing party planner, and you make sure everyone has a good time when they’re with you. Your creativity shines in this capacity, and it’s likely you’re notorious among your social circle for planning fabulous themed events, cross-cultural dinners and legendary, rocking house parties.

It’s hard to keep a Leo as a zodiac sign enemy.

If you really want to get back at your enemy, plan something outlandish, allow for a lot of build-up, tell everyone you know, and make sure your enemy knows all about it, but don’t invite them. Ouch.

Virgo

Light side: Be perfect/have better taste

It’s so annoying to the rest of us when you show up in a shiny, freshly polished car, with your perfectly ironed clothes and great hair with nothing out of place. You ran a marathon, baked seven pies, and scrubbed your entire house with a toothbrush after work last night!

We know no one is perfect, but Virgos do their best to make it seem like they are! This is the best way to poke the bear when it comes to zodiac sign enemies – how can they compete?

At the next party, you’ll both be at, be sure to bring the expensive, hard to find imported beer you heard the hosts like when you know your enemy always brings a dip that looks like cat barf.

Shadow side: Nitpick everything

This is a dark side of your personality that is not fun to be on the receiving end of. When it comes to your enemy though, this is the perfect play. After you’ve finally decided you’ve had enough of their bad behavior, start picking at anything you can see the next time they cross your path, only make sure to do it in a really snobby way.

Comment on their scuffed shoes, their old car, their bad breath, their gross looking lunch. It’s best not to do it all at once though, aim for one or two a day. This is a longer play, but will really start to make them mad. After a while, they’ll either explode or start to avoid you completely.

Libra

Light side: Use that charm

Libras are amazing at finding a compromise in any situation. You are tremendous listeners and can usually get enough information from the opposing side to find the connection that will bring you to a fair solution, or at least to a stalemate or compromise. It comes naturally to you to want to find peace, so this would be your first inclination.

Take the high road by honestly trying to figure out why they dislike you in the first place and use that Libra charm to disarm them or ultimately, to befriend them. Libras won’t have zodiac sign enemies for long if they take this road.

Shadow side: Time to flirt

If you’ve tried everything you can think of to win your enemy over, and they still want to kick sand in your face, go to Plan B – Flirt your face off. Libras know a thing or two about attraction and have no problems getting this kind of attention when they really want to. You love to talk and are great conversationalists, so start there.

Use your considerable charm, your good taste, and careful appearance to make sure the one your enemy cares about becomes very interested in you. It’s preferable to do this in an indirect way because it’s better if they come to you. It’s underhanded, but it will get under their skin.

Scorpio

Light side: Keep your cool and get them talking.

Everybody likes to talk about themselves, especially when they have a room full of sympathetic listeners. One of your most effective skills is to reveal information about other people without giving anything away yourself. Scorpio, use this ability to show everyone around you how insane your enemy is.

Whether your enemy is in your work or personal life, find a way to get under their skin within a group. Keep quiet as everyone settles in and wait until some drinks get flowing. Once people are loosened up, start with some icebreaker questions that seem innocuous, but you know will inflame your enemy. Once people are loosened up, start with some icebreaker questions that seem innocuous, but you know will inflame your zodiac sign enemy.

Maybe you heard them talking about how much they hate a political party, or how they can’t stand a certain TV show. Vacation in Japan where their partner left them? Bring it up! Everyone else will think it’s totally weird when every conversation they try to have makes your enemy fly off the handle like a crazy person.

Shadow side: Get the deets.

Scorpios are the masters of manipulation and can be as vindictive as a snake! They are definitely on the list of most hated zodiac signs. Due to your insane ability to uncover information about everyone around you, you probably have a pretty good idea of where to hit someone where it hurts. Carefully consider how best to strike back to deliver the most direct hit.

Does your enemy worry about their partner’s wandering eye? Engineer a situation where they’ll see their loved one with someone of the opposite sex when they were supposed to be at the gym. They might just be asking for directions, but your enemy doesn’t know that! Guaranteed fireworks when they get home.

Found out they got passed over for a promotion? Go to the person who got the job and convey to them how upset you were to hear all the horrible things your enemy is saying about them, (Did you really sleep with the boss?!) that’ll be fun for them to handle!

Sagittarius

Light side: Ignore them

The best way to deal with an enemy is to ignore them. Sounds simple, right? Seriously, one of your best traits is your eternal optimism and your way of giving people the benefit of the doubt. “Live and let live,” could be the Sagittarius mantra, so think about this.

Ultimately, an enemy wants to make you look bad or stupid, or at least to wipe that perpetual smile off your face. If they can’t get to you, they’ll drive themselves crazy trying over and over again and in the end – someone will notice they’re just being obsessive and slightly psychopathic. You win!

Shadow side: One up them.

While this is not really in the Sagittarius nature, it could be a worthy fallback when dealing with your enemy. You usually have crazy stories about trips you’ve taken, experiences you’ve had, and trouble you’ve gotten yourself into. You have a lust for life that leads you to seek out all kinds of adventure!

When your enemy is bragging about a trip they took, or a class they are taking, chances are you’ve had a similar, more impressive experience. If you’re in the vicinity of your enemy talking about their recent trip to New Hampshire to look at leaves, make sure to show videos of the waterfall you jumped off or the celebrity you ate pancakes with when you were in Vegas.

You’ll seem like you’re just joining the conversation, but you’ll be showing them up at the same time.

Capricorn

Light side: Wait them out

Capricorns can play a long game. A really, really, really long game. You Caps plan so far ahead; you might be time travelers. Your discipline and determination will easily outlast any zodiac sign enemy who dares take you on.

Your huge stores of patience and collectedness will help you to see past the annoyances of the present. Once your enemy sees that their attempts to poke you, prod you, get in the way of your goals are not working, eventually, they’ll just give up.

Caps plan so far ahead; you might be time travelers. Your discipline and determination will easily outlast any zodiac sign enemy who dares take you on.

Shadow side: Make them look dumb

Caps can be accused of being snobby and condescending, probably since you are often more together than those around you. You regularly exercise your brain and are likely highly accomplished, especially at work.

Your calm and reserved nature, combined with your stores of knowledge and intellect might make you sound high handed from time to time, especially if you’re dealing with someone who just doesn’t get it. When your enemy gets uppity, make sure you drag out your wits, quietly proving them wrong time and time again.

They’ll look tiresome and silly compared to you.

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Aquarius

Light side: Use your innovation and rebelliousness

Aquarius, you always have the best ideas, however weird, and you use them to solve big-picture problems, making people jealous and even making some zodiac rivals. You also really don’t give a rip about what people think about your choices, as that’s part of what makes you special. This could also be what drives your enemy crazy.

They can’t seem to beat you! Whether your enemy is at work or in your personal life, simply be you. If they come up with a lame idea, amaze the group with something outlandish and creative. If they publicly make fun of a choice you’ve made, laugh it off and make it clear you’re happy they don’t agree, because you don’t want to think like they do.

Shadow side: Point out their faults

Aquarius has amazing analytical abilities; you can pull people apart like puzzle pieces. You can also be emotionally detached, better at living in your head than your heart. This is a great quality when it comes to dealing with your enemy! If your enemy is just not letting up, find a way to call them out on all of their bad behavior.

To get back at them in a really dirty way, make sure everyone at work knows about how your enemy threw them under the bus in a meeting, or how share the bigoted comment you overheard them saying at lunch (Make sure to look upset.). Start pointing out the awful things they do behind people’s backs and they won’t have much of a reputation left.

Pisces

Light side: Make them jealous

It’s difficult to dislike a Pisces – after all, you mostly want to help people, so what’s the problem? You might make zodiac sign enemies who are purely jealous of your talents, of the way you have of connecting on a deep level with people you’ve just met. Maybe you’re too cheerful – maybe you talk too much. Who knows?

If your enemy is pestered by your simple good nature, make sure to be extra sweet to them, more earnest than usual and try to include them in everything you do so they don’t feel left out. They’ll probably start avoiding you because you’re just so – nice! It’s sickening.

Shadow side: Cry

Everybody knows how loving and compassionate you are – you go way out of your way to help people.

Those around you have probably been witness to you giving up your lunch for a homeless person or spending an entire day at work making sure everyone signs Peggy’s sympathy card because her dog died and she needs support. If your enemy comes for you in front of others, they’d better remember your stellar reputation!

You may not even have to cry, we bet those around you will shame your enemy for you because they’d have to be really gross to not to get along with you.

Conclusion

While we will all at some point be met with people we don’t like, disagree vehemently with or just downright do not like, there are multiple ways to deal with them. We can always recommend taking the high road, because after all, sometimes the people who hate the most are those who feel hated themselves.

Still, if you’ve really tried to handle the situation in a mature and respectful way and they still come at you with a vendetta you don’t understand, or they’re starting to affect your personal relationships or your job, you might need to take the matter into your own hands, roll up your sleeves and leave your conscience at the door.

Did we hit the nail on the head for your light and shadow sides? How have you dealt with an enemy in the past? What did we miss?

* Editor’s note: This article was previously published August 16th, 2017 and has been updated for astrological accuracy.