AGONIST

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does agonist mean? 

• AGONIST (noun)
  The noun AGONIST has 4 senses:

1. the principal character in a work of fiction

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

3. a muscle that contracts while another relaxes

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

  Familiarity information: AGONIST used as a noun is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• AGONIST (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

The principal character in a work of fiction

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Synonyms:

agonist; protagonist

Hypernyms ("agonist" is a kind of...):

character; fictional character; fictitious character (an imaginary person represented in a work of fiction (play or film or story))

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "agonist"):

antihero (a protagonist who lacks the characteristics that would make him a hero (or her a heroine))

Derivation:

agony (intense feelings of suffering; acute mental or physical pain)

Sense 2

Meaning:

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

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Hypernyms ("agonist" is a kind of...):

contestant (a person who participates in competitions)

Antonym:

antagonist (someone who offers opposition)

Derivation:

agonistic (of or relating to the athletic contests held in ancient Greece)

agony (intense feelings of suffering; acute mental or physical pain)

agony (a state of acute pain)

Sense 3

Meaning:

A muscle that contracts while another relaxes

Classified under:

Nouns denoting body parts

Context example:

when bending the elbow the biceps are the agonist

Hypernyms ("agonist" is a kind of...):

antagonistic muscle ((physiology) a muscle that opposes the action of another)

Sense 4

Meaning:

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

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("agonist" is a kind of...):

drug (a substance that is used as a medicine or narcotic)

Domain category:

biochemistry (the organic chemistry of compounds and processes occurring in organisms; the effort to understand biology within the context of chemistry)

 Context examples 

The sodium succinate salt of a synthetic glucocorticoid receptor agonist with immunosuppressive and anti-inflammatory effects.

(Methylprednisolone Sodium Succinate, NCI Thesaurus)

The acetate salt of a synthetic glucocorticoid receptor agonist with immunosuppressive and antiinflammatory effects.

(Methylprednisolone Acetate, NCI Thesaurus)

A methylated synthetic androgen receptor agonist with anabolic effects.

(Methyltestosterone, NCI Thesaurus)

The furoate salt form of mometasone, a synthetic topical glucocorticosteroid receptor agonist with anti-inflammatory, anti-pruritic and vasoconstrictive properties.

(Mometasone furoate, NCI Thesaurus)

A modified form of lipid A, the biologically active part of Gram-negative bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) endotoxin, and a Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) agonist, with potential immunostimulatory activity.

(Monophosphoryl Lipid A, NCI Thesaurus)

The antihypertensive action of methyldopa seems to be attributable to its conversion into alpha-methylnorepinephrine, which is a potent alpha-2 adrenergic agonist that binds to and stimulates potent central inhibitory alpha-2 adrenergic receptors.

(Methyldopa, NCI Thesaurus)

It is an opioid analgesic that is primarily a mu-opioid agonist.

(Methadone hydrochloride, NLM, Medical Subject Headings)

A beta-adrenergic receptor agonist with tocolytic activity.

(Meluadrine, NCI Thesaurus)

Arzoxifene binds to estrogen receptors as a mixed estrogen agonist/antagonist.

(Arzoxifene hydrochloride, NCI Thesaurus)

Antidiabetic thiazoidinedione drugs such as troglitazone and Avandia act as agonists of another nuclear receptor, PPAR-gamma.

(Metabolic Syndrome Pathway, NCI Thesaurus/BIOCARTA)