agonist
Americannoun
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a person engaged in a contest, conflict, struggle, etc., especially the protagonist in a literary work.
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a person who is torn by inner conflict.
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Physiology. a contracting muscle whose action is opposed by another muscle.
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Pharmacology. a chemical substance capable of activating a receptor to induce a full or partial pharmacological response.
noun
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any muscle that is opposed in action by another muscle Compare antagonist
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a competitor, as in an agon
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A muscle that actively contracts to produce a desired movement.
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A chemical substance, especially a drug, that can combine with a receptor on a cell to produce a physiologic response.
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Compare antagonist
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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
He views Lilly’s selective amylin agonist, eloralintide, a once-weekly injectable and potential obesity treatment, as another potential winner, noting its potentially best-in-class tolerability and efficacy.
From Barron's ● Jun. 9, 2026
Mice without the PAM gene showed faster gastric emptying, and treatment with a GLP-1 receptor agonist failed to slow the process.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 5, 2026
Retatrutide is a so-called triple hormone receptor agonist, which works by activating the body’s receptors for glucagon-like peptide-1, or GLP-1, glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide and glucagon, hormones that regulate blood sugar and digestion.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 21, 2026
There are even differences in how people respond to the different drugs, because Wegovy is a GLP-1 receptor agonist, and Zepbound is a GLP-1/GIP agonist.
From MarketWatch ● May 18, 2026
Reproach she looks, about, above, Denied her light, denied her love, Denied for what she sacrificed, Doomed to be fruitless agonist.
From Helen Redeemed and Other Poems by Hewlett, Maurice Henry
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
