antagonist
Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary
See also: Antagonist
Contents
English[edit]
Etymology[edit]
From Latin antagonista, from Ancient Greek ἀνταγωνιστής (antagōnistēs, “opponent”) (ἀντί (anti, “against”) + ἀγωνιστής (agōnistēs, “a combatant, pleader, actor”)), from ἀνταγωνίζεσθαι (antagōnizesthai, “antagonize”).
Pronunciation[edit]
Noun[edit]
antagonist (plural antagonists)
- An opponent or enemy.
- Milton
- antagonist of Heaven's Almighty King
- Hooker
- our antagonists in these controversies
- Milton
- One who antagonizes or stirs.
- (biochemistry) A chemical that binds to a receptor but does not produce a physiological response, blocking the action of agonist chemicals.
- 2001: The calcium antagonists represent one of the top ten classes of prescription drugs in terms of commercial value, with worldwide sales of nearly $10 billion in 1999. — Leslie Iversen, Drugs: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford 2001, p. 41)
- The main character or force opposing the protagonist in a literary work or drama.
- (anatomy) A muscle that acts in opposition to another.
- A flexor, which bends a part, is the antagonist of an extensor, which extends it.
Antonyms[edit]
- protagonist
- agonist (biochemistry)
Related terms[edit]
Translations[edit]
opponent
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one who antagonizes
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chemical
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