ultimate antagonist
- noun
- Literature
- Throughout the video game, players must gather clues to defeat the ultimate antagonist lurking in the shadows.
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Watch on YouTubeI mean, like going back to Star Wars, you know, the, like the, you know, the Emperor's the ultimate antagonist.
- I mean, like going back to Star Wars, you know, the, like the, you know, the Emperor's the ultimate antagonist.
Examples
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So how did he become the ultimate antagonist with so many different forms?
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These segments are fantastic for heightening anticipation of encountering the game's ultimate antagonist.
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In the climactic scene, the hero confronted the ultimate antagonist who had caused so much suffering throughout the story.
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In her latest novel, she crafted a complex ultimate antagonist whose motives are revealed only at the end.
Synonyms
415
3.0
A person who goes against others or causes harm
272
3.3
A person who does very bad things, often the main bad character in a story
45
8.1
A powerful enemy or thing that causes someone's defeat
8
4.8
A person who is someone's main enemy in a long rivalry
5
7.8
A person's main enemy who often opposes them
2
7.0
A person who is the main bad character in a story or film, often in children's stories
1
6.0
The last and hardest enemy in a video game you must beat to finish the story
1
8.0
The main enemy in a story who is very powerful and evil
1
9.2
A very powerful evil enemy in stories or legends
The final, most difficult enemy you must beat in a game
Antonyms
How Central
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: 'ultimate' = last/most extreme and 'antagonist' = opposing character, so a B1 learner who knows both words can infer 'the main or final opponent' in a story. This modifier + noun pattern is a common, regular formation and has clear cross-linguistic parallels, making the phrase immediately understandable from its parts.
Etymology
Ultimate antagonist brings to mind the last and biggest enemy in a story or game: ultimate means 'final' and antagonist means the character who opposes the hero. So it refers to the 'main and final' opponent the hero must defeat.