Related Words

Agonist: Muscle directly engaged in contraction that is primarily responsible for movement of a body part.

Tritagonist: In the earliest Greek dramas, the play consisted of a single actor standing on stage speaking and singing to the chorus. Later, a second actor (called the deuteragonist) was added by literar . . . View Full Definition

Deuteragonist: A sidekick who accompanies the main protagonist, the main character or hero, in a narrative. In The Advenures of Huckleberry Finn, for instance, the slave Jim is a deuteragonist and Huck Fin . . . View Full Definition

Antagonist: Character and/or situation that hinders the protagonist from achieving his or her goal(s).

Agonist Medication: A chemical entity that is not naturally occuring within the body which acts upon a receptor and is capable of producing the maximal effect that can be produced by stimulating that receptor. . . . View Full Definition

Antagonistic Muscles: A pair of muscles that work to produce opposite effects&emdash;one contracts as the other relaxes: for example, the bicep and tricep muscles on opposite sides of your upper arm.

Protagonist: The main character in a work, on whom the author focuses most of the narrative attention. See character.

Serotonin-Dopamine Antagonists (Sdas): (ser-o-to-nin do-pah-meen an-tag-o-nists) Also known as atypical antipsychotics. Unlike their predecessors, this newer class of medications treats both the positive and negative symptoms of . . . View Full Definition

Antagonistic Effect: A biologic response to exposure to multiple substances that is less than would be expected if the known effects of the individual substances were added together [compare with additive effect . . . View Full Definition

Morality Play: Medieval drama, often with music, intended to teach proper values.