antagonist

CEFRC2

/ænˈtæɡənɪst/

noun

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    noun

    A person who opposes another person or the main character.

  2. 02

    noun

    Extra detail

    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.

Examples

  • Caffeine is a purinergic antagonist that competitively inhibits adenosine at the sites of P1 receptors.

  • The antagonist of the book was introduced on the second page.

At a glance

Sits at C2 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
1
Citations
4
Synonyms
1

Deep Dive

noun

Extra meanings

  1. One who antagonizes or stirs.

  2. An opponent or enemy.

  3. The main character or force opposing the protagonist in a literary work or drama.

More examples

In context

  • A flexor, which bends a part, is the antagonist of an extensor, which extends it.

  • 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)

  • Antagonist of Heav’ns Almightie King

Synonyms

Antonyms

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

Every good story needs a compelling blank to create conflict for the main character.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

noun

From Latin antagonista, from Ancient Greek ἀνταγωνιστής (antagōnistḗs, “opponent”) (ἀντί (antí, “against”) + ἀγωνιστής (agōnistḗs, “a combatant, pleader, actor”)), from ἀνταγωνίζομαι (antagōnízomai, “to antagonize”).