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

Keep scrolling for more

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

In sight isn’t just Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro, but also Cuba, an antagonist that has dominated American attention in the region for more than 50 years, as well as recent inroads made by Russia, China and Iran. — Ian Talley, WSJ, "U.S. Push to Oust Venezuela’s Maduro Marks First Shot in Plan to Reshape Latin America," 30 Jan. 2019 The statement was the turning point in public perception, portraying Sandmann not as an antagonist but as a young person hoping to diffuse a tense situation with adults. — Kate Storey, Town & Country, "Behind the PR Machine That Helped Change the Nick Sandmann Narrative," 25 Jan. 2019 As an adenosine antagonist, caffeine is an opposing force that helps wake you up by binding to your adenosine receptors. — Carolyn L. Todd, SELF, "How to Tell if Your 'Caffeine Withdrawal Headaches' Are Actually Migraines," 25 Jan. 2019 Hawley campaigned as an antagonist to big technology companies in general and Google in particular. — Timothy B. Lee, Ars Technica, "Newly elected Republican senator could be Google’s fiercest critic," 24 Nov. 2018 As the antagonist of Kwan’s novel, Eleanor is more clearly a shallow adversary who spends much of her time scheming against Rachel, and snooping through her family details. — Shannon Liao, The Verge, "How Crazy Rich Asians turns a traditional Asian rom-com trope into a modern statement," 18 Aug. 2018 The two governments are heirs to antagonists from China’s civil war last century. — Eva Dou, WSJ, "Taiwan’s President Criticizes China in Speech, Calls for Support for Island," 10 Oct. 2018 On the front of her sweater was a knit graphic of Pinhead, the antagonist from the Hellraiser horror series. — Avery Matera, Teen Vogue, "Kaia Gerber Wears a Pinhead Tee and Pajama Pants," 4 Oct. 2018 This time, though, the antagonists will be doubled, and the once great enemies will be allies. — refinery29.com, "Billions Season 3 Finale Recap: "The Death Zone"," 11 June 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.

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about antagonist

Dictionary Entries near antagonist

antagonistic cooperation

antagonistic symbiosis

Statistics for antagonist

Last Updated

12 Apr 2019

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for antagonist

The first known use of antagonist was in 1555

See more words from the same year

Keep scrolling for more

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