noun
Meaning 1
An opponent or enemy.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Standard Lemma guide
antagonist
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
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Received-Pronunciation: /ænˈtæɡənɪst/
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Canada, General-American: /ænˈtæɡənɪst/
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Canada, General-American: [ɛə̯nˈtæɡənɪst]
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Texas: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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US: non-native Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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Australian: /ænˈtæɡənɪst/
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CMU ARPABET: AE0 N T AE1 G AH0 N AH0 S T Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
noun
Meaning 2
One who antagonizes or stirs.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 3
A chemical that binds to a receptor but does not produce a physiological response, blocking the action of other agonist chemicals, such as endogenous chemical messengers.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: biochemistry, biology, chemistry, microbiology, natural-sciences, physical-sciences
Examples
- 2001: The calcium antagonists represent one of the top ten classes of prescription drugs in terms of commercial value, with worldwide sales of nearly $10 billion in 1999. — Leslie Iversen, Drugs: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford 2001, p. 41)
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: blocker
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 4
The main character or force opposing the protagonist in a literary work or drama.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: authorship, broadcasting, communications, film, journalism, literature, media, publishing, television, writing
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 5
A muscle that acts in opposition to another.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: anatomy, medicine, sciences
Examples
- A flexor, which bends a part, is the antagonist of an extensor, which extends it.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 6
a drug that neutralizes or counteracts the effects of another drug
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: synergist
Broader terms: drug
Narrower terms: estrogen antagonist, tamoxifen, narcotic antagonist
noun
Meaning 7
a muscle that relaxes while another contracts
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- when bending the elbow the triceps are the antagonist
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: antagonistic muscle
noun
Meaning 8
someone who offers opposition
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: adversary, opponent, opposer, resister
Antonyms: agonist
Broader terms: person, individual, someone, somebody, mortal, soul
Narrower terms: dueler, dueller, duelist, duellist, enemy, foe, foeman, opposition, Luddite, withstander, Antichrist
History
Etymology
From Latin antagonista, from Ancient Greek ἀνταγωνιστής (antagōnistḗs, “opponent”) (ἀντί (antí, “against”) + ἀγωνιστής (agōnistḗs, “a combatant, pleader, actor”)), from ἀνταγωνίζομαι (antagōnízomai, “to antagonize”).
Across languages
Translations
102 source translations are retained for this English entry.
- Arabic: خَصْم (ḵaṣm) — opponent
- Arabic: عَدُوّ (ʕaduww) — opponent
- Armenian: հակառակորդ (hakaṙakord) — opponent
- Armenian: ախոյան (axoyan) — opponent
- Armenian: հակամարտիկ (hakamartik) — opponent
- Bengali: প্রতিপক্ষ (protipokkho) — opponent
- Catalan: antagonista — opponent
- Chinese Mandarin: 對手 /对手 (duìshǒu) — opponent
- Chinese Mandarin: 敵手 /敌手 (díshǒu) — opponent
- Esperanto: kontraŭulo — opponent
- Esperanto: kontraŭbatalanto — opponent
- Esperanto: antagonisto — opponent
- Finnish: vastustaja — opponent
- French: antagoniste — opponent
- Georgian: ანტაგონისტი (anṭagonisṭi) — opponent
- Georgian: მეტოქე (meṭoke) — opponent
- Georgian: მოწინააღმდეგე (moc̣inaaɣmdege) — opponent
- German: Antagonist — opponent
- German: Widersacher — opponent
- German: Gegner — opponent
- Greek: ανταγωνιστής (antagonistís) — opponent
- Ancient Greek: ἀντίπαλος (antípalos) — opponent
- Hindi: शत्रु (śatru) — opponent
- Hindi: विरोधी (virodhī) — opponent
- Hungarian: ellenfél — opponent
- Icelandic: andstæðingur — opponent
- Icelandic: mótstöðumaður — opponent
- Indonesian: antagonis — opponent
- Italian: antagonista — opponent
- Kazakh: кереғар (kereğar) — opponent
- Northern Kurdish: hevdij — opponent
- Malay: antagonis — opponent
- Malay: penentang — opponent
- Māori: hoariri — opponent
- Māori: kaitāwari — opponent
- Māori: whewheia — opponent
- Persian: هماورد (hamâvard) — opponent
- Persian: رقیب (raqib) — opponent
- Persian: حریف (harif) — opponent
- Plautdietsch: Jäajna — opponent
- Polish: antagonista — opponent
- Polish: antagonistka — opponent
- Polish: przeciwnik — opponent
- Polish: przeciwniczka — opponent
- Portuguese: antagonista — opponent
- Romanian: antagonist — opponent
- Romanian: oponent — opponent
- Russian: антагони́ст (antagoníst) — opponent
- Slovak: antagonista — opponent
- Spanish: antagonista — opponent
- Swedish: motståndare — opponent
- Swedish: antagonist — opponent
- Finnish: vihastuttaja — one who antagonizes
- Finnish: vihanlietsoja — one who antagonizes
- Finnish: riidankylväjä — one who antagonizes
- Greek: ανταγωνιστής (antagonistís) — one who antagonizes
- Indonesian: antagonis — one who antagonizes
- Indonesian: penentang — one who antagonizes
- Italian: oppositore — one who antagonizes
- Italian: avversario — one who antagonizes
- Italian: concorrente — one who antagonizes
- Kazakh: кереғар (kereğar) — one who antagonizes
- Kazakh: антагонист (antagonist) — one who antagonizes
- Malay: antagonis — one who antagonizes
- Malay: penentang — one who antagonizes
- Māori: kiritoariri — one who antagonizes
- Persian: دشمن (došman) — one who antagonizes
- Persian: مخالف (moxâlef) — one who antagonizes
- Polish: antagonista — one who antagonizes
- Polish: antagonistka — one who antagonizes
- Portuguese: antagonista — one who antagonizes
- Russian: антагони́ст (antagoníst) — one who antagonizes
- Spanish: antagonista — one who antagonizes
- Catalan: antagonista — chemical
- Chinese Mandarin: 拮抗劑 /拮抗剂 (jiékàngjì) — chemical
- Finnish: antagonisti — chemical
- German: Antagonist — chemical
- Greek: ανταγωνιστής (antagonistís) — chemical
- Hungarian: blokkoló — chemical
- Indonesian: antagonis — chemical
- Italian: antagonista — chemical
- Norwegian: Kjemisk — chemical
- Polish: antagonista — chemical
- Portuguese: antagonista — chemical
- Swedish: antagonist — chemical
- Arabic: غَرِيم (ḡarīm) — main character or force opposing the protagonist
- Arabic: خَصْم (ḵaṣm) — main character or force opposing the protagonist
- Arabic: شِرِّير (širrīr) — main character or force opposing the protagonist
- Finnish: pääpahis — main character or force opposing the protagonist
- French: antagoniste — main character or force opposing the protagonist
- German: Antagonist — main character or force opposing the protagonist
- Indonesian: antagonis — main character or force opposing the protagonist
- Japanese: 敵役 — main character or force opposing the protagonist
- Polish: antagonista — main character or force opposing the protagonist
- Polish: antagonistka — main character or force opposing the protagonist
- Romanian: antagonist — main character or force opposing the protagonist
- Swedish: antagonist — main character or force opposing the protagonist
- Tagalog: kontrabida — main character or force opposing the protagonist
- Chinese Mandarin: 拮抗肌 (jiékàngjī) — muscle
- Indonesian: antagonis — muscle
- Polish: antagonista — muscle
- Swedish: antagonist — muscle
Real reading context