agonist

American  

[ag-uh-nist] / ˈæg ə nɪst /

noun

1. a person engaged in a contest, conflict, struggle, etc., especially the protagonist in a literary work.

2. a person who is torn by inner conflict.

3. Physiology. a contracting muscle whose action is opposed by another muscle.

4. Pharmacology. a chemical substance capable of activating a receptor to induce a full or partial pharmacological response.

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agonist British  

/ ˈæɡənɪst /

noun

1. any muscle that is opposed in action by another muscle Compare antagonist

2. a competitor, as in an agon

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agonist Scientific  

/ ăg′ə-nĭst /

1. A muscle that actively contracts to produce a desired movement.

2. A chemical substance, especially a drug, that can combine with a receptor on a cell to produce a physiologic response.

3. Compare antagonist

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Etymology

Origin of agonist

First recorded in 1620–30; from Late Latin agōnista, from Greek agōnistḗs “contestant,” equivalent to agṓn agon + -istēs -ist

Example Sentences

It’s acquiring Centessa Pharmaceuticals, which is working on orexin receptor 2 agonists for conditions like narcolepsy and idiopathic hypersomnia — forms of daytime sleepiness.

From MarketWatch

The MHRA's action as a result of our investigation means that warnings for all dopamine agonists - prescribed more than 1.5 million times in England alone last year - will be reviewed.

From BBC

Building on these findings, the research team turned to a class of drugs known as liver X receptor agonists, which increase HDL production in the liver and intestines.

From Science Daily

For more than two decades, scientists have explored a group of cancer drugs known as CD40 agonist antibodies.

From Science Daily

He had stopped taking the dopamine agonist medication immediately after discovering its effect on him and his Parkinson's symptoms had advanced.

From BBC