AGONIST


Meaning of AGONIST in English

I. ˈagənə̇st noun

( -s )

Etymology: Late Latin agonista, from Greek agōnistēs combatant, from agōnizesthai to contend, from agōn gathering, assembly, contest — more at agony

1. : one that is engaged in a struggle: as

a. : a leading character (as the protagonist) in a literary work

the chief interest of the novel … is an analysis of the nature and moods … of the four agonists — Iris Barry

b. : one that is beset by intellectual or spiritual conflicts

an agonist , a self-tormentor who ran to meet suffering halfway — John Buchan

2.

[back-formation from antagonist “a muscle”]

: a muscle that on contracting is automatically checked and controlled by the opposing simultaneous contraction of another muscle — see antagonist 2a; compare synergist

II. noun

: a chemical substance (as a drug) capable of combining with a specific receptor on a cell and initiating the same reaction or activity typically produced by the binding of an endogenous substance — compare antagonist 2b in the Dict

Webster's New International English Dictionary.      Новый международный словарь английского языка Webster.