antagonist

C2+ Topic:People & Society

US /ænˈtæɡənɪst/ UK /ænˈtæɡənɪst/ See IPA manual

noun

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

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

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Topics

People & Society Word Formation & Derivatives

# 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
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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antagonist

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