antagonist
noun
an·tag·o·nist
| \ an-ˈta-gə-nist
\
\
Definition of antagonist
2
: an agent of physiological antagonism: such as
a
: a muscle that contracts with and limits the action of an agonist with which it is paired
— called also antagonistic muscle
b
: a chemical that acts within the body to reduce the physiological activity of another chemical substance (such as an opiate)
especially
: one that opposes the action on the nervous system of a drug or a substance occurring naturally in the body by combining with and blocking its nervous receptor — compare agonist sense 2b
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Synonyms & Antonyms for antagonist
Synonyms
adversary, enemy, foe, hostile, opponent
Antonyms
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Examples of antagonist in a Sentence
They are interested in character first, and in Don, a foul-mouthed psychopath with a hair-trigger temper and buried longings for Gal's wife, they have created a truly scary antagonist.
— David Ansen, Newsweek, 18 June 2001
In the 1970s researchers discovered that the actions of estrogen and other hormones can be blocked chemically by drugs called hormone antagonists …
— David Plotkin, Atlantic, June 1996
If the new comptroller is a true antagonist of the seamy bond market practices he decried in the campaign, why has he installed as his first deputy the public finance director from the Dinkins administration who was Holtzman's accomplice in each of those deals.
— Wayne Barrett, Village Voice, March 1994
As in that film, Kopple not only draws an intimate portrait of the protagonists and antagonists in the strike, but also deftly locates the workers' struggle within a broad context of economic and political forces.
— Frank Thompson, Film Comment, January/February 1991
please name the novel's hero and his antagonist
his antagonist in the boxing match
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Recent Examples on the Web
The Rhoda character was originally conceived as an antagonist to Moore's Mary, but was eventually fashioned into her outspoken friend. — Brian Lowry, CNN, "Valerie Harper, Emmy-winning 'Rhoda' star, dead at 80," 30 Aug. 2019 Issa, who made his name as an antagonist of President Obama as head of the House Oversight Committee, could give Republicans an interesting plan B depending on how Hunter's trial goes. — Ben Kamisar, NBC News, "Darrell Issa launching exploratory committee for indicted Rep. Hunter's seat," 29 Aug. 2019 At the beginning of 13 Reasons Why season 2, mean girl Chloe (Anne Winters) is definitely painted as an antagonist. — Rachel Paige, refinery29.com, "Everything That Happened Between Bryce & Chloe In 13 Reasons Why Season 2," 24 Aug. 2019 Besides bolstering her credentials as an antagonist of Wall Street, Warren’s new proposal also gives her the chance to tout her avoidance of high-dollar fundraisers and reliance on small donors to power her campaign. — Washington Post, "Elizabeth Warren pitches new constraints on private equity," 18 July 2019 Besides bolstering her credentials as an antagonist of Wall Street, Warren's new proposal also gives her the chance to tout her avoidance of high-dollar fundraisers and reliance on small donors to power her campaign. — CBS News, "Elizabeth Warren wants to put private equity firms "vampires" to the stake," 18 July 2019 Besides bolstering her credentials as an antagonist of Wall Street, Warren’s new proposal also gives her the chance to tout her avoidance of high-dollar fundraisers and reliance on small donors to power her campaign. — Elana Schor, chicagotribune.com, "Sen. Elizabeth Warren targets private equity ‘looting’ of troubled companies," 18 July 2019 The antagonists of the film are only presented as elitists, a group often vilified on both sides of the aisle. — David Sims, The Atlantic, "How The Hunt Became a Political Rorschach Test," 13 Aug. 2019 The league unveiled monochromatic uniforms for Players Weekend, eschewing the lively colors of previous years for dull monochromatic duds that appear to channel the Imperial stormtrooper antagonists of the Star Wars franchise. — Jeremy Cluff, azcentral, "MLB Players Weekend uniforms, hats unveiled for Arizona Diamondbacks, other teams," 7 Aug. 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'antagonist.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for antagonist
antagonist
noun
English Language Learners Definition of antagonist
: a person who opposes another person
See the full definition for antagonist in the English Language Learners Dictionary
antagonist
noun
an·tag·o·nist
| \ an-ˈta-gə-nəst
\
\
Kids Definition of antagonist
: a person who is against something or someone else : opponent
antagonist
noun
an·tag·o·nist
| \ -nəst
\
\
Medical Definition of antagonist
: an agent that acts in physiological opposition
contact between a tooth and its antagonist in the opposing jaw
: as
a
: a muscle that contracts with and limits the action of an agonist with which it is paired
— called also antagonistic muscle
— compare agonist sense 1, synergist sense 2
b
: a chemical that acts within the body to reduce the physiological activity of another chemical substance (as an opiate)
especially
: one that opposes the action on the nervous system of a drug or a substance occurring naturally in the body by combining with and blocking its nervous receptor — compare agonist sense 2
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