Meaning & use
Agonistic
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Relating to struggle, conflict, or competition, especially combative behavior between animals of the same species.
See it in a sentence
Male deer display agonistic behavior such as antler clashing during the mating season.
The debate had an agonistic tone, with each side treating the exchange as a battle to be won.
A note on using this word
In pharmacology, 'agonistic' describes a drug that activates a receptor to produce a biological response, a related but distinct sense from its use in animal behavior studies.
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Another way to use it
2. adjective
(Pharmacology) Acting as an agonist; triggering a physiological response by binding to and activating a receptor.
The new compound showed agonistic activity at the receptor, mimicking the natural hormone.
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