agonist

Plural: agonists

Noun

• A person engaged in a struggle or contest.
• the principal character in a work of fiction
• someone involved in a contest or battle (as in an agon)
• a muscle that contracts while another relaxes
  • "when bending the elbow the biceps are the agonist"
• (biochemistry) a drug that can combine with a receptor on a cell to produce a physiological reaction
• Someone involved in a contest or battle (as in an agon), protagonist.
• The muscle that contracts while the other relaxes.
• A molecule that can combine with a receptor on a cell to produce a physiological reaction.

Examples

• Acetylcholine is an agonist at the cholinergic receptor.
• As the main agonist in our Scrabble tournament, he was the one to beat.
• When bending the elbow, the biceps is the agonist.

Synonyms

protagonist

Antonyms

antagonist