antagonist

C2+ Topic:People & Society

US /ænˈtæɡənɪst/ UK /ænˈtæɡənɪst/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

noun
a person who actively opposes or is hostile to another

The hero finally confronted his lifelong antagonist.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a person who actively... adversary opponent enemy rival foe

Opposites

ally protagonist supporter friend

Word family

Derived forms antagonistic antagonism antagonize

Related forms agonist protagonist

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

narcotic antagonist
a substance that counteracts the effects of narcotic drugs

Noun + noun

Simplified etymology

Antagonist, recorded from the mid-16th century, derives from Greek elements associated with opposition and struggle: anti- ‘against’ and agōnizesthai ‘to struggle’.

Etymology

From Greek antagōnistēs ('opponent, rival'), from antagōnizesthai ('to struggle against'), from anti- ('against') + agōnizesthai ('to contend'), from agōn ('contest').

antagōnistḗs Ancient Greek agṓn Ancient Greek

View etymology graph ->

Topics

People & Society Literature & Storytelling Theater & Performance Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# antagonist

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ænˈtæɡənɪst/
**IPA (UK):** /ænˈtæɡənɪst/

## Meanings
1. a person who actively opposes or is hostile to another

## Examples
- The hero finally confronted his lifelong antagonist.

## Synonyms
- adversary
- opponent
- enemy
- rival
- foe

## Antonyms
- ally
- protagonist
- supporter
- friend

## Derived Forms
- antagonistic
- antagonism
- antagonize

## Related Forms
- agonist
- protagonist

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: antagōnistḗs
- Root: agṓn

## Etymology
From Greek antagōnistēs ('opponent, rival'), from antagōnizesthai ('to struggle against'), from anti- ('against') + agōnizesthai ('to contend'), from agōn ('contest').

## AI Etymology
Antagonist comes from Greek antagōnistēs ('opponent, rival'), from antagōnizesthai ('to struggle against'), from anti- ('against') + agōnizesthai ('to contend'), from agōn ('contest'). The historical trail runs through Ancient Greek antagōnistḗs and Ancient Greek agṓn. Morphologically, the surface form is analyzable into prefixes, suffixes, compounds, or participial endings that carry part of the history. In modern use it means a person who actively opposes or is hostile to another. Derived formations include antagonistic, antagonism, antagonize; related forms include agonist, protagonist.

## Topics
- People & Society
- Literature & Storytelling
- Theater & Performance
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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