agent
31
7.0
- noun
- /ˈeɪdʒənt/
- Specialized
:
agente
- Animals, like the land itself, are active agents, not simply passive objects to be acted upon by humans.
- role of agent
- agent of an action
- agent and location
You are the agent and you're trying to make them suffer in some way.
- You are the agent and you're trying to make them suffer in some way.
Examples
-
Then the second cause is the craftsperson, the agent, the person who actually forms the statue.
-
Here it's up to you to decide what what your agent's goal is.
-
So there is no good society and no agent who will get you there, right?
-
And what other kinds of things could we imagine the agent knowing?
-
The self is not passive in this process but is the agent that conditions the process.
Academic text (1990) -
Similarly, artist-run spaces have acted as agents for younger artists, securing clients and negotiating exhibitions with international museums.
Academic text (2011) -
Ordinarily, we deem an agent morally culpable only for those actions of hers that are under her control.
Academic text (2017) -
In the sentence 'The agent smiled as she explained the details of the plan,' the agent is the one who instigates the action of smiling.
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The teacher emphasized that understanding the role of the agent in the sentence is crucial to grasping the overall meaning.
-
In the clause 'The agent made the decision to proceed,' the agent clearly indicates the person who instigates the action.
Synonyms
The person or animal that makes the action happen in a sentence
Compounds
104
3.5
A person who works for the country's government to enforce laws and investigate crimes
33
1.6
A person or company that books tickets, hotels and transport for people going on a trip
18
4.1
A person who works secretly for the police to gather information while hiding who they are
18
4.9
A spy who secretly works for two opposing sides while pretending to help one and giving secrets to the other
- Specialized
13
3.0
A person who secretly works for a government to get information about the country's safety
- NSFW
13
8.8
A very poisonous chemical used as a weapon that stops the nerves from working and makes people stop breathing
- Literature
9
7.6
A strong chemical sprayed in the Vietnam War to kill plants that caused long-term harm to people and land
6
3.7
A person who works to get news and attention for a company, group, or famous person
- Specialized
5
4.2
A tiny living thing like a virus or bacterium that can make people and animals sick
- Formal
3
6.7
A person or group the government requires to report activities and funding from another country
- Jargon
3
3.7
A person or company that arranges performances for people like musicians and actors
3
9.9
A person who secretly encourages others to break the law to make them look guilty
2
4.4
A person or company who finds work for actors in plays, films, and television
- Specialized
1
3.5
A substance like a medicine that stops a virus growing or kills it
1
5.8
A government worker who looks into serious money crimes like tax fraud and making fake money
- Specialized
1
3.6
A person or company that arranges cargo, customs, and port services for a ship
- Specialized
1
5.8
A medicine that stops or reduces a body process, for example a hormone action
- Formal
1
5.8
A government worker who gives farmers and rural families advice about farming and household matters
- Specialized
1
4.1
A drug that temporarily makes part of the body feel no pain during medical treatment
- Specialized
1
6.9
A medicine that treats some cancers by adding small chemical groups to DNA to stop cell growth
- Specialized
1
5.8
A person who secretly gets information for another country or company
1
5.0
A person who organizes and checks the arrival and delivery of goods for a shipping company
- Specialized
1
3.8
An ingredient added to dough or batter to make it rise and become lighter
- NSFW
1
9.9
A very strong chemical weapon that causes severe blisters and harms the lungs and eyes
- Archaic
1
8.0
A United States government worker who deals with Native American tribes on a reservation
- Specialized
1
5.9
A drug that stops nerve signals to muscles and makes them relax or stop moving
- Specialized
1
7.9
An organization that keeps records of a company's stock owners and handles transfers and cancellations of stock certificates
- Specialized
A drug that treats high blood pressure and fast heartbeat by slowing the heart
- NSFW
A harmful chemical that causes severe blisters on skin and damages eyes and lungs, often used as a weapon
- Specialized
A chemical that removes color from food and cloth to make them white
- Jargon
A person who secretly carries messages between a case officer and an undercover agent in enemy territory
- Specialized
A program or device that connects two systems and translates data so they can communicate
- Texting
A computer program or online service that books and manages reservations like flights and restaurants
A person who manages business affairs for employees and represents them to employers
- Specialized
A material like silica gel that takes water from other things to make them dry
A person who represents actors, finds them work, negotiates contracts, and manages their careers
- Specialized
A chemical used in a mining process with bubbles to make a certain mineral stick to the bubbles
Surface Forms
Morphology
agent = ag + ent
The linguistic role 'agent' (instigator/actor) is conceptually linked to 'act/agency', but the morphological parts are bound and not directly visible to most learners.
Etymology
Agent comes from Latin agere 'to do', which helps you remember that the agent in a sentence is the 'doer' — the person or thing that performs the action.