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The Collaborative International Dictionary
Agonist

Agonist \Ag"o*nist\, n. [Gr. ?.] One who contends for the prize in public games. [R.]

Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
agonist

1876, in writings on Greek drama, from Greek agonistes, literally "combatant in the games" (see agony).

Wiktionary
agonist

n. 1 Someone involved in a contest or battle (as in an agon). 2 The muscle that contracts while the other relaxes. 3 (context biochemistry English) A molecule that can combine with a receptor on a cell to produce a physiological reaction.

WordNet
agonist
  1. n. the principal character in a work of fiction [syn: protagonist]

  2. someone involved in a contest or battle (as in an agon) [ant: adversary]

  3. a muscle that contracts while another relaxes; "when bending the elbow the biceps are the agonist"

  4. (biochemistry) a drug that can combine with a receptor on a cell to produce a physiological reaction

Wikipedia
Agonist

An agonist is a chemical that binds to a receptor and activates the receptor to produce a biological response. Whereas an agonist causes an action, an antagonist blocks the action of the agonist and an inverse agonist causes an action opposite to that of the agonist.

Agonist (disambiguation)

Agonist (from Ancient Greek ἀγωνιστής: agōnistēs, “combatant, champion”) may refer to:

  • a person engaged in a contest or struggle (see agon)
  • an advocate of the political theory of agonism (or "agonistic pluralism").
  • Agonist, a substance that binds to a receptor to induce a biochemical response
    • Inverse agonist, a substance that induces the opposite effect of an agonist
  • Agonist (muscle), a muscle type
  • Samson Agonistes, a tragedy by John Milton.
  • The Agonist, a Canadian metal band
  • Agonistic behaviour, animal behaviour relating to conflict

Usage examples of "agonist".

Everybody is an agonist in one of Fate's time-worn games on the earth, and winning or losing is not what it seems to be in the judgement of others, but as judged by the player himself.

A receptor agonist tailored for gerontological wards, it stimulates interest in the new: combined with MDMA, it's a component of the street cocktail called sensawunda.

Lucy can’t spend the rest of her life paranoid that people are going to find out she has a brain tumor and is on some type of dopamine agonist to keep it under control.

It comes packaged with a special agent—a bradykinin agonist called 'Neurolax'—which increases the permeability of the blood-brain barrier by activating B2 receptors on the endothelial cells of the brain's capillaries.