antagonist

noun an·tag·o·nist \ an-ˈta-gə-nist \

|Updated on: 2 Aug 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

And then there’s the virtuoso sequence where Ant-Man battles his evil antagonist atop a Thomas the Tank engine model train.

— noah berlatsky, The Verge, "The best superhero stories admit that superheroes are ridiculous," 11 July 2018
As our antagonists spar over their place on the totem pole of privilege and oppression, Emilie gets in a good zinger about how many theater companies are run by gay white men.

— kerry lengel, azcentral, "Review: Nearly Naked Theatre's 'The Submission' is how NOT to add to the diversity debate," 3 July 2018
There are two strong antagonists in season two: Bushmaster and Mariah Dillard.

— josh wigler, The Hollywood Reporter, "'Luke Cage' Star on Season 2's Cliffhanger: "I Was Extremely Surprised"," 26 June 2018
Regina and Blair Waldorf from Gossip Girl, Sharpay Evans from High School Musical, and even Lizzie McGuire’s Kate Sanders define a generation of popular, headstrong, and sharp-tongued antagonists.

— jasmine arielle ting, Teen Vogue, "Asian-American Stereotypes in Popular Culture Are Being Challenged by the Asian Mean Girl," 2 May 2018
The sinister presence of the auto pilot system, Auto, who sets the course for atrophied and consumer-driven humans aboard the space station, is arguably the subtlest antagonist to come from Pixar’s stable of characters.

— richard newby, The Hollywood Reporter, "'Wall-E' References That Need to Be Revisited," 27 June 2018
Merkel’s most vociferous antagonists look abroad with envy.

— alan crawford, Bloomberg.com, "As Merkel’s Power Drains, the Threat to Europe Grows," 27 June 2018
By letting some antagonists survive season 1 and create an ongoing presence, Coker was able to build on strong character foundations to move the series forward in a way that Jessica Jones season 2 couldn’t.

— samantha nelson, The Verge, "Luke Cage is the first Netflix MCU show with a strong season 2," 22 June 2018
Among Mas Canosa's many antagonists, few doubted that Castro would be first to find comfort in his death.

— christopher marquis, miamiherald, "Jorge Mas Canosa dead at 58," 15 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.

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