antagonist

noun an·tag·o·nist \ an-ˈta-gə-nist \

Updated on: 13 Apr 2018

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 2b

See antagonist defined for English-language learners

See antagonist defined for kids

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 of antagonist from the Web

One biotech company is studying a drug with similar mode of action as naloxone — an opioid antagonist — but one that lasts roughly four times longer.

— max blau, STAT, "The next naloxone? Companies, academics search for better overdose-reversal drugs," 10 Apr. 2018
Before rampaging dinos and hungry sharks, Spielberg's feature debut (which premiered as a TV movie but also got a theatrical release) offered a truck as its main antagonist.

— brian truitt, USA TODAY, "All of Steven Spielberg's movies (including 'Ready Player One'), ranked," 28 Mar. 2018
Many players suggested alternative gameplay fixes that could be more productive, like a permanent vault to store accumulated gold or respawns that happen farther from your antagonists to prevent stalking and/or revenge killings.

— kyle orland, Ars Technica, "Rare cancels planned Sea of Thieves “death cost” after player complaints," 27 Mar. 2018
Deadpool was originally created as an antagonist of the X-Force, and didn’t officially become a member until decades later with a new iteration of the team and a new costume – a monochrome number that’s teased in the trailer.

— richard newby, The Hollywood Reporter, "'Deadpool 2' Signals a Strange Future for the X-Men Universe," 23 Mar. 2018
At times, only the extreme injustice of her situation keeps her compelling — that, and the outrageous behavior of the film’s antagonist.

— tasha robinson, The Verge, "Steven Soderbergh’s all-iPhone movie Unsane makes a poor showing for the iPhone 7," 23 Mar. 2018
But even with all the Hogwarts excitement, many fans are still protesting the casting of Depp, who was accused of domestic abuse by ex-wife Amber Heard, in the lead antagonist role.

— anna menta, Newsweek, "‘Fantastic Beasts’ Trailer Apparates ‘Harry Potter’ Fans to a High-Def Hogwarts," 13 Mar. 2018
With two actions yesterday, America lost its post-World-War-II position as the world’s leading advocate of free trade, and became the most prominent antagonist.

— alan murray, Fortune, "North Korea, Tariff Pushback, French Labor: CEO Daily for March 9, 2018," 9 Mar. 2018
Kilgrave, the mind-controlling antagonist at the center of the show's first season, is nowhere to be seen, and Jessica Jones feels very different without him.

— joshua rivera, GQ, "Jessica Jones Season Two: Angry as Hell," 8 Mar. 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.

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.

Origin and Etymology of antagonist

see antagonize

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1555

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

antagonist Synonyms

ANTAGONIST Defined for English Language Learners

antagonist

noun

Definition of antagonist for English Language Learners

: a person who opposes another person

ANTAGONIST Defined for Kids

antagonist

noun an·tag·o·nist \ an-ˈta-gə-nəst \

Definition of antagonist for Students

: a person who is against something or someone else : opponent

Medical Dictionary

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 1, synergist 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 2