antagonist

noun

an·tag·o·nist | \ an-ˈta-gə-nist

Definition of antagonist

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

Synonyms & Antonyms Did You Know? More Example Sentences Learn More about antagonist

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Synonyms & Antonyms for antagonist

Synonyms

adversary, enemy, foe, hostile, opponent

Antonyms

amigo, friend

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

It was inserted in part because Michelle Yeoh, who delivers an amazing steel-and-silk performance as the movie’s main antagonist, refused to play the stock villainous tiger mom from the book. — Jeff Yang, Vox, "The symbolism of Crazy Rich Asians’ pivotal mahjong scene, explained," 20 Aug. 2018 Chadwick Boseman is appropriately noble and dull as the title character, and director Ryan Coogler (Creed, Fruitvale Station) brings along the compelling Michael B. Jordan, his frequent collaborator, to play the Panther's philosophical antagonist. — J.r. Jones, Chicago Reader, "Black Panther’s identity politics give the superhero genre a fresh spin," 18 Feb. 2018 Ligado’s antagonists are sprinkled throughout the space, defense and aviation communities. — Holman W. Jenkins, WSJ, "Is Airwave Nimbyism Holding Back 5G?," 7 Dec. 2018 Ed Speleers is set to play Stephen Bonnet, a pirate, smuggler and all-around antagonist to Jamie and Claire. — Julie Kosin, Harper's BAZAAR, "Outlander Season 4: Everything We Know," 26 Oct. 2018 As past Trump antagonists like Senator Ted Cruz and [Paul] Ryan ... seem to have concluded for themselves, admission to the head table of Republican politics in 2018 carries a membership fee: making peace with the president, however unpleasant. — James Hohmann, Washington Post, "The Daily 202: North Korea summit prep encapsulates Trump’s winging-it presidency," 11 June 2018 Trump had instead leaned into painting anyone who isn’t a white man—or an especially fervent supporter of white men—as an antagonist. — Jennifer Wright, Harper's BAZAAR, "We're Living in a Time of Cruel Laughing Men," 17 Oct. 2018 Mahathir long seemed to relish his role as an antagonist to the West. — Adam Schreck, The Seattle Times, "AP Interview: Malaysia’s Mahathir aims to scrap China deals," 14 Aug. 2018 Carnage is about as great an antagonist as Venom has. — Richard Newby, The Hollywood Reporter, "A Eulogy for a Fallen Spider-Man Character," 31 May 2018

These 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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Dictionary Entries near antagonist

antagonistic cooperation

antagonistic symbiosis

Statistics for antagonist

Last Updated

18 Jan 2019

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for antagonist

The first known use of antagonist was in 1555

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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