Antagonist
Season-ruining injuries, Monday mornings, and villains who believe they are heroes all play this role: the force that resists the protagonist.
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Force opposing the hero.
Memory trick
ANTI-AGONIST: anti (against) + agon (struggle, as in agony): the struggle-against character.
Examples
The drought is the antagonist.
Monday morning is the true antagonist of every hostel success story.
A great antagonist believes they are the hero: that is what makes them scary.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Etymology
From Greek antagonistes "competitor, rival," from anti- "against" + agonizesthai "to struggle." The one who struggles against.
Usage Notes
Story structure term: protagonist acts, antagonist resists. Can be a person, a storm, or a system; the role matters, not the costume.
Real-life contexts
Use in reviews: "The antagonist steals every scene."
Use in writing: "Give your antagonist a fair motive."
Use in sports: "Injury was our season’s antagonist."
Common Mistakes
Antagonist opposes the protagonist, who need not be heroic; in tragedy both can be flawed. Do not confuse with agonist (a muscle or a debater’s term).
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Part of Speech
noun
Difficulty
intermediateMonthly Searches
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