antagonist

/ænˈtægənəst/

/ænˈtægənɪst/

Other forms: antagonists

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.

Definitions of antagonist

1. noun

   someone who offers opposition
   synonyms: adversary, opponent, opposer, resister

   antonyms:

   agonist

   someone involved in a contest or battle (as in an agon)

   examples:

   Antichrist

   (Christianity) the adversary of Christ (or Christianity) mentioned in the New Testament; the Antichrist will rule the world until overthrown by the Second Coming of Christ

   types:

   dueler, duelist, dueller, duellist

   a person who fights duels

   enemy, foe, foeman, opposition

   an armed adversary (especially a member of an opposing military force)

   Luddite

   any opponent of technological progress

   withstander

   an opponent who resists with force or resolution

   besieger

   an enemy who lays siege to your position

   type of:

   individual, mortal, person, somebody, someone, soul

   a human being
2. noun

   the main character who opposes the protagonist in a narrative or play
   antonyms:

   protagonist

   the principal character in a work of fiction

   example of:

   character, fictional character, fictitious character

   an imaginary person represented in a work of fiction (play or film or story)
3. noun

   a muscle that relaxes while another contracts
   “when bending the elbow the triceps are the antagonist”

   type of:

   antagonistic muscle

   (physiology) a muscle that opposes the action of another
4. noun

   a drug that neutralizes or counteracts the effects of another drug
   antonyms:

   synergist

   a drug that augments the activity of another drug

   types:

   estrogen antagonist, tamoxifen

   an antagonist for estrogen that is used in the treatment of breast cancer

   narcotic antagonist

   an antagonist used to counteract the effects of narcotics (especially to counteract the depression of respiration)

   Nalline, nalorphine

   a narcotic antagonist (trade name Nalline) that counteracts the effects of narcotics (especially the effects of poisoning by morphine)

   naltrexone

   an oral antagonist against the action of opiates

   type of:

   drug

   a substance that is used as a medicine or narcotic