Agonistic

2 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Agonistic \Ag`o*nis"tic\, Agonistical \Ag`o*nis"tic*al\, a. [Gr.
     ?. See {Agonism}.]
     Pertaining to violent contests, bodily or mental; pertaining
     to athletic or polemic feats; athletic; combative; hence,
     strained; unnatural.
     [1913 Webster]


  
           As a scholar, he [Dr. Parr] was brilliant, but he
           consumed his power in agonistic displays. --De Quincey.
     [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  agonistic
       adj 1: of or relating to the athletic contests held in ancient
              Greece
       2: striving to overcome in argument; "a dialectical and
          agonistic approach" [syn: {agonistical}, {combative}]
       3: struggling for effect; "agonistic poses" [syn: {strained}]