agonist

[ag-uh-nist]

noun

1. a person engaged in a contest, conflict, struggle, etc., especially the protagonist in a literary work.

2. a person who is torn by inner conflict.

3. Physiology.,  a contracting muscle whose action is opposed by another muscle.

4. Pharmacology.,  a chemical substance capable of activating a receptor to induce a full or partial pharmacological response.

agonist

/ ˈæɡənɪst /

noun

1. any muscle that is opposed in action by another muscle Compare antagonist

2. a competitor, as in an agon

agonist

1. A muscle that actively contracts to produce a desired movement.

2. A chemical substance, especially a drug, that can combine with a receptor on a cell to produce a physiologic response.

3. Compare antagonist

Word History and Origins

Origin of agonist¹

First recorded in 1620–30; from Late Latin agōnista, from Greek agōnistḗs “contestant,” equivalent to agṓn agon + -istēs -ist

Word History and Origins

Origin of agonist¹

C17: from Greek agōn _agon

Example Sentences

Dopamine agonists can over-stimulate such feelings - helping sufferers of some movement disorders which may be caused by low levels of dopamine.

From BBC

Sarah was in her 50s when she was prescribed another dopamine agonist drug made by a different manufacturer.

From BBC

Coviello says that with such long and intricate biochemical pathways, there’s potential in new medications that incorporate more than one receptor agonist.

From Salon

As mentioned, some of these alkaloids work on the central nervous system’s opioid receptors, binding to them as partial agonists.

From Salon

"More work is now needed to implement the results of this study into clinical practice and improve access to GLP-1 receptor agonists to people who will benefit from them," he added.

From Science Daily