Adjacent Words

Antagonist definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

ANTAG'ONIST, n. [Gr. against, and a champion. See Act and Agony.]
1. One who contends with another in combat; used primarily in the Grecian games. An adversary.
2. An opponent in controversy.
3. In anatomy, a muscle which acts in opposition to another; as a flexor, which bends a part, is the antagonist of an extensor, which extends it.
ANTAG'ONIST, a. Counteracting; opposing; combating; as, an antagonist muscle.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: someone who offers opposition [syn: adversary, antagonist, opponent, opposer, resister] [ant: agonist]
2: a muscle that relaxes while another contracts; "when bending the elbow the triceps are the antagonist"
3: a drug that neutralizes or counteracts the effects of another drug [ant: synergist]

Merriam Webster's

noun Date: 1575 1. one that contends with or opposes another ; adversary, opponent 2. an agent of physiological antagonism: 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 (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

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. 1 an opponent or adversary. 2 Biol. a substance or organ that partially or completely opposes the action of another. Derivatives: antagonistic adj. antagonistically adv. Etymology: F antagoniste or LL antagonista f. Gk antagonistes (as ANTAGONIZE)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Antagonist An*tag"o*nist, a. Antagonistic; opposing; counteracting; as, antagonist schools of philosophy.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Antagonist An*tag"o*nist, n. [L. antagonista, Gr. ?; ? against + ? combatant, champion, fr. ?: cf. F. antagoniste. See Antagonism.] 1. One who contends with another, especially in combat; an adversary; an opponent. Antagonist of Heaven's Almigthy King. --Milton. Our antagonists in these controversies. --Hooker. 2. (Anat.) A muscle which acts in opposition to another; as a flexor, which bends a part, is the antagonist of an extensor, which extends it. 3. (Med.) A medicine which opposes the action of another medicine or of a poison when absorbed into the blood or tissues. Syn: Adversary; enemy; opponent; toe; competitor. See Adversary.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(antagonists) Your antagonist is your opponent or enemy. Spassky had never previously lost to his antagonist. N-COUNT

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. Opponent, adversary, rival, competitor, enemy, foe, adverse party.

Moby Thesaurus

Roscius, actor, actress, adversary, anti, antihero, archenemy, assailant, bad guy, barnstormer, bit, bit part, bitter enemy, cast, character, character actor, character man, character woman, child actor, combatant, competition, competitor, con, contender, cue, devil, diseur, diseuse, dramatizer, enemy, fat part, feeder, foe, foeman, foil, heavy, hero, heroine, histrio, histrion, ingenue, juvenile, lead, lead role, leading lady, leading man, leading woman, lines, match, matinee idol, mime, mimer, mimic, monologist, mummer, open enemy, opponent, opposer, opposing party, opposite camp, opposition, oppugnant, pantomime, pantomimist, part, person, personage, piece, playactor, player, protagonist, protean actor, public enemy, reciter, role, side, soubrette, stage performer, stage player, stooge, straight man, straight part, stroller, strolling player, supporting character, supporting role, sworn enemy, the loyal opposition, the opposition, theatrical, thespian, title role, trouper, utility man, villain, walk-on, walking part