antagonist

noun an·tag·o·nist \ an-ˈta-gə-nist \

|Updated on: 21 Jun 2018

Examples: antagonist in a Sentence

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

So while there may be no antagonist in Saturday’s game, there are different perspectives.

— brian straus, SI.com, "Magnitude of Iceland's World Cup Debut vs. Argentina Not Lost on Confident Underdog," 15 June 2018
Opioid antagonists, such as naltrexone, indirectly inhibit brain cells from producing dopamine, thereby reducing cravings.

— ferris jabr, Scientific American, "How the Brain Gets Addicted to Gambling," 14 May 2018
So the antagonists simply want to create chaos and try to delay Major League Soccer's expansion announcement here.

— jason williams, Cincinnati.com, "PX column: Pay no attention to anti-stadium noise. FC Cincinnati is moving forward," 12 May 2018
This season, the million dollar question is: Who is the Black Hood, the mysterious antagonist who shot Archie's dad in Pop's and killed Ms. Grundy, among other crimes.

— kayleigh roberts, Marie Claire, "Lili Reinhart and Madelaine Petsch Talk 'Riverdale' Spoilers and the Identity of the Black Hood," 2 May 2018
All of your favorite Marvel characters unite in this epic film to take down Thanos, the Guardians of the Galaxy antagonist, who has a thirst for infinity stones.

— christopher rosa, Glamour, "11 Movies and TV Shows You'll Be Sad If You Miss This Week," 22 Apr. 2018
Trump’s reliance on pen and phone enhances his starring role on the Washington stage and deprives antagonists of marquee moments in congressional floor fights.

— Bloomberg.com, "Trump’s Governing Just Like Obama With Congress Gridlocked," 3 Apr. 2018
But as the film’s primary antagonist, the joyless Dean Wormer, warns the fun-loving outcasts, fat, drunk and stupid is no way to be.

— alexander nazaryan, Newsweek, "What Is College Good For? Absolutely Nothing, Say Republicans (and Some Democrats)," 1 Feb. 2018
This is somewhat unlikely from a marketing perspective, however, as China is a major movie market and making Beijing the antagonist is a surefire way to prevent Top Gun 2 from hitting Chinese theaters.

— kyle mizokami, Popular Mechanics, "What Planes Will Tom Cruise Fly in 'Top Gun: Maverick'?," 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.

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