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Antagonist

//ænˈtæɡənɪst// noun

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    An opponent or enemy.

    "our antagonists in these controversies"

  2. 2
    a drug that neutralizes or counteracts the effects of another drug wordnet
  3. 3
    One who antagonizes or stirs.
  4. 4
    a muscle that relaxes while another contracts wordnet
  5. 5
    A chemical that binds to a receptor but does not produce a physiological response, blocking the action of other agonist chemicals, such as endogenous chemical messengers.

    "2001: The calcium antagonists represent one of the top ten classes of prescription drugs in terms of commercial value, with worldwide sales of nearly $10 billion in 1999. — Leslie Iversen, Drugs: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford 2001, p. 41)"

Show 3 more definitions
  1. 6
    someone who offers opposition wordnet
  2. 7
    The main character or force opposing the protagonist in a literary work or drama.

    "So God forbid I'm seen just as an average human being / I mean, imagine if antagonists lacked any evil scheme"

  3. 8
    A muscle that acts in opposition to another.

    "A flexor, which bends a part, is the antagonist of an extensor, which extends it."

Etymology

From Latin antagonista, from Ancient Greek ἀνταγωνιστής (antagōnistḗs, “opponent”) (ἀντί (antí, “against”) + ἀγωνιστής (agōnistḗs, “a combatant, pleader, actor”)), from ἀνταγωνίζομαι (antagōnízomai, “to antagonize”).

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