ag·o·nis·tic

(ăg′ə-nĭs′tĭk) also ag·o·nis·ti·cal (-tĭ-kəl)

adj.

1. Of or relating to an agonist.

2. Striving to overcome in argument; combative: "In the far more consequential world of business and finance ... pretensions of youthful vigor and agonistic prowess reign supreme" (Theodore Roszack).

3. Of or relating to contests, originally those of the ancient Greeks.

4. Of or relating to behavior associated with conflict between one animal and another.

ag′o·nis′ti·cal·ly adv.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

agonistic

(ˌæɡəˈnɪstɪk) ;

agonistical

(ˌæɡəˈnɪstɪkəl)

adj

1. striving for effect; strained

2. eager to win in discussion or argument; competitive

[C17: via Late Latin from Greek agōnistikos, from agōn contest]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

ag•o•nis•tic

(ˌæg əˈnɪs tɪk)

also ag`o•nis′ti•cal,

adj.

1. combative; striving to overcome in argument.

2. straining for effect: agonistic humor.

3. of or pertaining to ancient Greek athletic contests.

4. pertaining to a behavioral response to an aggressive encounter, as attack or appeasement.

[1640–50; < Greek]

ag`o•nis′ti•cal•ly, adv.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Adj.	1.	agonistic - of or relating to the athletic contests held in ancient Greece
	2.	agonistic - striving to overcome in argument; "a dialectical and agonistic approach" agonistical, combative competitive, competitory - involving competition or competitiveness; "competitive games"; "to improve one's competitive position"
	3.	agonistic - struggling for effect; "agonistic poses" strained affected, unnatural - speaking or behaving in an artificial way to make an impression

Mentioned in

References in periodicals archive

Ihese indirect interactions between BPA and the AF-2 surface may stabilize the active AF-2 conformation of the receptor and contribute to the agonistic activity of BPA on hPXR (Figure 2B,C).

Bisphenol A and its analogues activate human pregnane x receptor

the "agonistic political" (67-114) is not so much a predicate of a specific discipline, "political theology," than the privileged place (locus/topos) of theological inquiry itself.

The Theological and the Political: On the Weight of the World

Another way of understanding discursive politics online makes productive use of an agonistic rather than a consensus-based understanding of politics, along with developments in cultural and sociological research into the concept of 'political listening' and the role of affect in political participation (Mouffe, 2000, 2005; Dreher, 2009).

The politics of blogs: theories of discursive activism online

When we jump into his agonistic campaign, he rewards us with thoughtful analysis.

Harold Bloom. The Anatomy of Influence: Literature as a Way of Life

From Chapter 3 onward, Connolly examines how we might cultivate belief and even affirmation of a world of becoming, expanding upon earlier themes of agonistic respect, and how we might negotiate deep pluralism.

William E. Connolly: A World of Becoming

Gender roles turn out to be Jones's primary focus for discussing "politics" in relation to "society," but before examining Athenian men and women, he devotes a chapter to the agonistic nature of Athenian democracy as seen in the use of courts, juries, and trials and in ostracism.

Politics and Society in Ancient Greece

The broad spectrum of "aggressive behaviors" is technically called "agonistic behavior" and is defined in ethology as, "pertaining to the range of activities associated with aggressive encounters between members of the same species or social group, including threat, attack, appeasement, or retreat." So, while a growl-lunge-bite sequence would be easily recognized by most people as aggression, more subtle agonistic behaviors such as a freeze, a hard stare, or even a lack of eye contact, may go unnoticed (and unaddressed).

A new threshold: how a dog's aggression may emerge--and how to banish it

"Pervaiz Musharraf will announce All Pakistan Muslim League on October 1st he declared adding we are not scared of the agonistic propaganda".

Musharraf will announce APML on Oct 1st tells Chaudhary Shahbaz

Thymol was found to possess an agonistic effect on the alpha (1)-, alpha(2)-and beta-adrenergic receptors.

Effect of Thymol on the spontaneous contractile activity of the smooth muscles

[8, 9 10] More specifically, the female gender, obesity, intense levels of physical activity [11,12,13] and agonistic sports have been shown to be related to LBP [13,14,15].

Low back pain in adolescent gymnasts. Prevalence and risk factors

The time spent foraging and in agonistic interactions by both species generally increased in high-temperature challenges, whereas the time spent inactive decreased, regardless of the season.

Time budget of Cancer Irroratus (say) and Carcinus maenas (L.) under various temperature and prey density conditions during conspecific and heterospecific challenges

The Virtual Research and Development Center will focus on the development of potential new treatments including KRAS inhibition concepts, as mutations in the KRAS gene are common in various cancers, specifically in certain types of lung and gastrointestinal cancers; and a TRAILR2 agonistic antibody, with the potential to selectively induce cancer cell death (apoptosis).

Boehringer Ingelheim and MD Anderson Form Virtual Research and Development Centre to Rapidly Advance New Cancer Therapies