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Which word shares a Greek root with antagonist?

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antagonist

American  

[an-tag-uh-nist] / ænˈtæg ə nɪst /

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.

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antagonist British  

/ 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

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antagonist Scientific  

/ ăn-tăg′ə-nĭst /

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

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Synonym Usage

See adversary.

Etymology

Origin of antagonist

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

Explanation

An antagonist is someone who opposes someone else. In Superman comics, the antagonist is Lex Luthor, evil genius and archenemy of the superhero. The noun antagonist shows up a lot when people are talking about books, plays, or movies to mean "the bad guy," but it can also be used to talk about a real person if she acts against someone else. An antagonist is always in opposition, but she isn't always bad or mean; your opponent on the tennis court, for example, could be called your antagonist, simply because it is her priority to beat you in your tennis game.

Example Sentences

From a reality TV antagonist to a contender in the L.A. mayoral race, Spencer Pratt has jolted local politics, turning personal tragedy in the Palisades fire into a 2026 election campaign.

From Los Angeles Times • May 30, 2026

A decade later, we are deep in the latest girlhood panic cycle, and this time the antagonist is the phone.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 20, 2026

Neurocrine already markets Crenessity, an oral CRF1 receptor antagonist used to treat congenital adrenal hyperplasia, which is a collection of genetic disorders affecting the adrenal glands.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 6, 2026

Veteran video game actor Troy Baker is nominated twice - for his lead performance as Indiana Jones in The Great Circle and for his supporting role as antagonist Higgs in Death Stranding 2.

From BBC • Mar. 12, 2026

One of the leading researchers in the field, who helped write the 2009 Amherst paper, is Daniel Anderson, a professor at UMass Amherst, and he’s anything but a purebred television antagonist.

From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel

Related Words

• adversary
• enemy
• foe