agonist

noun

ag·o·nist | \ ˈa-gə-nist

Definition of agonist

1 : one that is engaged in a struggle

2 [ from antagonist ]

a : a muscle that is controlled by the action of an antagonist with which it is paired

b : a chemical substance capable of combining with a specific receptor on a cell and initiating the same reaction or activity typically produced by the binding endogenous substance dopaminergic agonists — compare antagonist sense 2b

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The drugs used can include luteinizing-hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH) agonists, which work to turn off the ovaries’ production of estrogen (this hormone can stoke cancer development). — Korin Miller, SELF, "What Are My Options for Ovarian Cancer Treatment?," 13 Dec. 2018 Chances are that your bacon this morning came from pork fed with ractopamine, a beta-agonist that bulks up the pig but can adversely affect the human cardiovascular system and even cause chromosomal abnormalities. — Eugenia Bone, WSJ, "‘The Poison Squad’ Review: Ever Wonder What’s In It?," 27 Sep. 2018 GnRH agonists suppress ovulation and essentially induce premature menopause. — Zahra Barnes, SELF, "11 Symptoms of Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder You Shouldn’t Ignore," 6 Feb. 2018 Among people with opioid addictions, taking an opioid agonist reduces the odds of relapsing into drug use and dying from an overdose. — Brian Barnett, STAT, "Jails and prisons: the unmanned front in the battle against the opioid epidemic," 2 July 2018 The partisan agonists are not wrong about the significance of the moment. — Massimo Calabresi, Time, "With Justice Kennedy Gone, It's Trump's Court Now," 28 June 2018 Other chemicals, called antagonists, shut down the receptors by preventing the agonists from entering. — Jonathon Keats, Discover Magazine, "Building a Better Painkiller," 11 May 2018 Buprenorphine is considered a partial agonist, that works similarly to methadone as a replacement medication. — Rita Giordano, Philly.com, "Opioid addiction treatment with medicine works best. Why don't more young people get it?," 11 Apr. 2018 There are also gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonists, which can block the production of hormones that stimulate your ovaries and keep you from having a period, Greves explains. — Korin Miller, Allure, "This Is What Endometriosis Pain Feels Like — and How to Treat It," 6 Mar. 2018

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Agonidae

agonies of guilt/remorse/regret

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The first known use of agonist was in 1658

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More Definitions for agonist

agonist

noun

ag·o·nist | \ ˈag-ə-nəst

Medical Definition of agonist

1 : a muscle that on contracting is automatically checked and controlled by the opposing simultaneous contraction of another muscle

— called also agonist muscle, prime mover

— compare antagonist sense a, synergist sense 2

2 : a chemical substance (as a drug) capable of combining with a receptor on a cell and initiating the same reaction or activity typically produced by the binding of an endogenous substance binding of adrenergic agonists — compare antagonist sense b