agent

I

(New American Roget's College Thesaurus)

One who acts for another

Nouns

1. (one who acts for another) agent, representative, ombudsman, delegate, emissary, instrument, envoy, deputy, proxy, broker, factor, attorney; commissary, commissioner; beadsman or -woman; trustee, nominee; salesman, saleswoman (See sale); middleman, intermediary, go-between, internuncio; power broker; spokesperson, spokesman, spokeswoman, voice; commission agent, auctioneer, one's man of business, [personal] secretary; ambassador[-at-large], ambassadress[-at-large], diplomat, legate, minister [plenipotentiary]; embassy, legation; apostle, messenger; advertising, book, press, publicity, or theatrical agent; secret agent (See inquiry). Informal, connection. Slang, bagman, -woman, or -person; mouthpiece. See substitution.

2. (assistant) lieutenant, henchman; legman; vicar; assistant, right-hand man; man, woman, boy or girl Friday; handmaiden, servant, slave; midwife, accoucheur, obstetrician; robot, cat's paw. Informal, stooge. See instrumentality.

3. (act of acting for another) deputation, assignment; mission, legation, embassy; going-between, mediation; representation, substitution.

Verbs — represent, act on behalf of, act for; substitute for (See substitution); appoint, deputize (See commission); baby-, house-, dog-(etc.)sit; liaise; network.

Adjectives — deputy, representative; plenipotentiary; ministerial, diplomatic, ambassadorial, consular.

Quotations — Taxation without representation is tyranny (James Otis), When in trouble, delegate (James H. Boren), An ambassador is an honest man sent to lie abroad for the good of his country (Henry Wotton), A diplomat... is a person who can tell you to go to hell in such a way that you actually look forward to the trip (Caskie Stinnett).

II

(Roget's IV) n.

1. [One who acts for another]

Syn. representative, deputy, broker, promoter, operator, salesperson, salesman, assistant, emissary, appointee, proxy, intermediary, executor, attorney, lawyer, go-between, surrogate, procurator, principal, factor, minister, envoy, delegate, spokesperson, spokesman, canvasser, middleman, commissioner, regent, consignee, commissary, syndic, substitute, factotum, steward, functionary, servant, assignee, solicitor, ambassador, diplomat, charg? d'affaires (French), attach?, comprador, proctor, negotiator, advocate, coagent, instrument, tool, cat's paw, press agent, publicity agent, claim agent, employment agent, headhunter*, literary agent, actor's agent, booking agent, flesh peddler*, ten percenter*, handler, secret agent, spy, operative, double agent, FBI agent, G-man*, treasury agent, T-man*, narcotics agent, narc*.

2. [An instrumentality]

Syn. active force, cause, means, agency; see doer , means 1 .

an agent is, generally, a person or thing that acts or is capable of acting, or, in this comParison, one who is empowered to act for another [ a literary agent] ; factor , a less common term, now usually denotes an agent for the sale of goods; a deputy is a public official to whom certain authority has been delegated by superiors; proxy implies the delegation of power to substitute for another in some formal or ceremonial act [ some stockholders vote by proxy]

III

(Roget's 3 Superthesaurus) n.

1. doer actor, executor, functionary, mover.

2. representative assignee, delegate, deputy, advocate, proxy, middleman, broker, go-between, proctor, salesman, envoy, handler.

3. force power, instrument, cause, mechanism, means.

IV

(Roget's Thesaurus II) noun 1. That by which something is accomplished or some end achieved: agency, instrument, instrumentality, instrumentation, intermediary, mean3 (used in plural), mechanism, medium, organ. See MEANS. 2. A person who secretly observes others to obtain information: operative, spy. Informal: spook. Idiom: secret (or undercover) agent. See INVESTIGATE.