antagonist

[an-tag-uh-nist]

noun

1. a person who is opposed to, struggles against, or competes with another; opponent; adversary.

   Synonyms: foe, enemy, contestant
   Antonyms: friend, ally

2. the adversary of the hero or protagonist of a drama or other literary work.

   Iago is the antagonist of Othello.

3. Physiology.,  a muscle that acts in opposition to another.

4. Dentistry.,  a tooth in one jaw that articulates during mastication or occlusion with a tooth in the opposing jaw.

5. Pharmacology.,  a drug that counteracts the effects of another drug.

antagonist

/ ænˈtæɡənɪst /

noun

1. an opponent or adversary, as in a contest, drama, sporting event, etc

2. any muscle that opposes the action of another Compare agonist

3. a drug that counteracts the effects of another drug Compare synergist

antagonist

1. A muscle that opposes the action of another muscle, as by relaxing while the other one contracts, thereby producing smooth, coordinated movement.

2. A chemical substance, such as a drug, that interferes with the physiological action of another substance, especially by combining with and blocking its nerve receptor.

3. Compare agonist

Word History and Origins

Origin of antagonist¹

First recorded in 1590–1600; from Late Latin antagōnista, from Greek antagōnistḗs. See antagonize, -ist

Synonym Study

See adversary.

Example Sentences

The backlash against the current actions in Portland from obvious antagonists was expected.

Read more on Salon

Athena isn’t a particularly intimidating antagonist, given that Julian seems to have forgotten to give her crucial abilities and weapons.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

“Task” has been steadily burning toward this meeting of its two flawed men, neither of whom entirely registers as protagonist or antagonist.

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They now share a common antagonist in the US, which has imposed sanctions on Russia and put sweeping tariffs on its trading partners.

Read more on BBC

I thought that it’s good to be the antagonist as far as having something active to play.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• adversary 
• enemy 
• foe