antagonist

noun

an·​tag·​o·​nist an-ˈta-gə-nist How to pronounce antagonist (audio)
1
: one that contends with or opposes another : adversary, opponent
political antagonists
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

Did you know?

On the stage or screen, in a story or a novel, the protagonist is the main character and the antagonist is the opposing one. Pro- and ant- usually mark the good and bad characters, but not always; there may occasionally be an evil protagonist and a good antagonist. In the drama of the real world, it's especially hard to sort out which is which, so we usually speak of both parties to a conflict as antagonists. During a strike, for example, representatives of labor and management become antagonists; they often manage to antagonize each other, and the antagonism often remains after the strike is over.

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
Recent Examples on the Web Brief, dramatic glimpses of Liu, reportedly set to play an antagonist, and Brown are shown in the trailer, but details about their roles are still a mystery. Jessica Wang, EW.com, 13 Mar. 2024 Washington will play the title character, while Gyllenhaal will portray the antagonist Iago, who tries to convince Othello that his wife has been unfaithful. Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 6 Mar. 2024 More Key Contests California: Representative Adam Schiff, a prominent Democratic antagonist of Trump, and Steve Garvey, a Republican former baseball star, advanced to the California general election for the Senate seat that was held by Dianne Feinstein. Lisa Lerer, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2024 Iran has been one of America’s chief antagonists in the Middle East for decades. USA TODAY, 30 Jan. 2024 Related article Biden administration calls on schools to stock naloxone, the opioid overdose reversal drug Naloxone is an opioid antagonist that can halt an overdose. Rae Ellen Bichell, CNN, 29 Feb. 2024 What the document does convey, however, is that The Unknown is supposed to be the main antagonist of the piece. Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 29 Feb. 2024 Banks could also be heard asking where their costar Giancarlo Esposito — who played Breaking Bad antagonist Gus Fring — was for the cast's reunion. Tommy McArdle, Peoplemag, 25 Feb. 2024 Earlier this month, in a stunning development first reported by Bloomberg, Fink met in Houston with one of his major antagonists, Texas lieutenant governor Dan Patrick, who in 2022 called for the state to divest from BlackRock. Bob Ivry, Forbes, 24 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'antagonist.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

see antagonize

First Known Use

1555, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of antagonist was in 1555

Dictionary Entries Near antagonist

Cite this Entry

“Antagonist.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/antagonist. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

antagonist

noun
an·​tag·​o·​nist an-ˈtag-ə-nəst How to pronounce antagonist (audio)
: one that opposes another

Medical Definition

antagonist

noun
an·​tag·​o·​nist -nəst How to pronounce antagonist (audio)
: 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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