agonist

[ ag-uh-nist ]

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.

  1. Physiology. a contracting muscle whose action is opposed by another muscle.: Compare antagonist (def. 3).

  2. Pharmacology. a chemical substance capable of activating a receptor to induce a full or partial pharmacological response.: Compare antagonist (def. 5).

Origin of agonist

1
First recorded in 1620–30; from Late Latin agōnista, from Greek agōnistḗs “contestant,” equivalent to agṓn agon + -istēs -ist

Words Nearby agonist

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How to use agonist in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for agonist

agonist

/ (ˈæɡənɪst) /


noun
  1. any muscle that is opposed in action by another muscle: Compare antagonist (def. 2)

  2. a competitor, as in an agon

Origin of agonist

1
C17: from Greek agōn agon

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for agonist

agonist

[ ăgə-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. Compare antagonist.

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