# agonist

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈæ.ɡɘ.nɪst/ · frequency rank #35,605

## Definitions
1. Someone involved in a contest or battle (as in an agon), protagonist.
2. The muscle that contracts while the other relaxes.
3. A molecule that can combine with a receptor on a cell to produce a physiological reaction.

## Etymology
Borrowed from Latin agōnista, from Ancient Greek ἀγωνιστής (agōnistḗs, “combatant, champion”). By surface analysis, agon or agony + -ist.

## Easily confused with
- **amongst** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/agonist-vs-amongst)
- **arsonist** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/agonist-vs-arsonist)
- **Adonis** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/adonis-vs-agonist)

## Common misspellings (10)
`aggonist`, `agnoist`, `agoinst`, `agonisst`, `agonistt`, `agonits`, `agonnist`, `agonsit`, `aognist`, `gaonist`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/agonist