heroine

[her-oh-in]

noun

1. a woman noted for courageous acts or nobility of character.

   Esther and other biblical heroines.

2. a woman who, in the opinion of others, has special achievements, abilities, or personal qualities and is regarded as a role model or ideal.

   Name two women who have been heroines in your life.

3. the principal female character in a story, play, film, etc.

heroine

/ ˈhɛrəʊɪn /

noun

1. a woman possessing heroic qualities

2. a woman idealized for possessing superior qualities

3. the main female character in a novel, play, film, etc

Gender Note

See hero.

Other Word Forms

• superheroine noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of heroine¹

1650–60; < Latin hērōīnē < Greek hērōī́nē, feminine of hḗrōs hero; -ine ²

Example Sentences

“It is a great play because, by the end, Tom Stoppard touches ineffability, just as his heroine touches genius.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

These days, right, you’re more likely to read about a heroine who’s running a podcast or working at a digital news site.

Read more on Salon

Orchards, wildernesses and bowers abound in her fiction, where her heroines contemplate curated views or scamper across fields and over stiles.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

And the additional running time also allows for two brand new songs -- one of which, "The Girl in the Bubble," sees Ariana Grande's popular, pink-clad heroine Glinda confront her unlikely dark past.

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Douglas Century’s “Crash of the Heavens” brings to life the headstrong, charismatic heroine who was both a fearless warrior and a precocious writer.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• beau ideal 
• eidolon 
• epitome 
• example 
• exemplar 
• good example www.thesaurus.com
• icon 
• ideal 
• idol 
• model 
• paragon 
• person to look up to www.thesaurus.com
• role model 
• shining example www.thesaurus.com