different between antagonist vs attacker

English

Etymology

From Latin antagonista, from Ancient Greek ???????????? (antag?nist?s, “opponent”) (???? (antí, “against”) + ????????? (ag?nist?s, “a combatant, pleader, actor”)), from ?????????????? (antag?nízesthai, “antagonize”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /æn?tæ??n?st/

Noun

antagonist (plural antagonists)

1. An opponent or enemy.
   • 1594, Richard Hooker, Of the Lawes of Ecclesiastical Politie

     our antagonists in these controversies

2. One who antagonizes or stirs.
3. (biochemistry) A chemical that binds to a receptor but does not produce a physiological response, blocking the action of agonist chemicals.
   • 2001: The calcium antagonists represent one of the top ten classes of prescription drugs in terms of commercial value, with worldwide sales of nearly $10 billion in 1999. — Leslie Iversen, Drugs: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford 2001, p. 41)
4. (authorship) The main character or force opposing the protagonist in a literary work or drama.
5. (anatomy) A muscle that acts in opposition to another.

   A flexor, which bends a part, is the antagonist of an extensor, which extends it.

Antonyms

• protagonist
• agonist (biochemistry)

Related terms

Translations

Anagrams

• stagnation

Danish

Noun

antagonist c (singular definite antagonisten, plural indefinite antagonister)

1. (literature) antagonist

Declension

Synonyms

• skurk

Further reading

• “antagonist” in Den Danske Ordbog

Romanian

Etymology

From French antagoniste, from Latin antagonista.

Adjective

antagonist m or n (feminine singular antagonist?, masculine plural antagoni?ti, feminine and neuter plural antagoniste)

1. antagonist

Declension

English

Etymology

attack +? -er

Pronunciation

• (US) IPA^(key): /??tæk?/
• Rhymes: -æk?(r)

Noun

attacker (plural attackers)

1. Someone who attacks.
   • 1981, Del Martin, Battered Wives (page 90)

     […] expecting the woman to take her attacker into physical custody is tantamount to preventing the arrest. If she could handle him, she probably would not need to call the police in the first place.

   • 2011, James M. Stewart, CompTIA Security+ Review Guide: Exam SY0-301 (page 133)

     In this manner, the victim may be able to discover the one or many zombied systems that are causing the DoS attack but probably won't be able to track down the actual attacker.

2. (soccer) One of the players on a team in football (soccer) in the row nearest to the opposing team's goal, who are therefore principally responsible for scoring goals.

Synonyms

• (soccer position): centre forward, forward, striker

Translations

Anagrams

• reattack

Swedish

Noun

attacker

1. indefinite plural of attack