protagonist

American  

[proh-tag-uh-nist] / proʊˈtæg ə nɪst /

noun

1. the leading character, hero, or heroine of a drama or other literary work.

2. a proponent for or advocate of a political cause, social program, etc.

3. the leader or principal person in a movement, cause, etc.

4. the first actor in ancient Greek drama, who played not only the main role, but also other roles when the main character was offstage.

5. Physiology. agonist.

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protagonist British  

/ prəʊˈtæɡənɪst /

noun

1. the principal character in a play, story, etc

2. a supporter, esp when important or respected, of a cause, political party, etc

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protagonist Cultural  

1. The principal character in a literary work. Hamlet, for example, is the protagonist of the play by William Shakespeare that bears his name.

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Other Word Forms

• protagonism noun

Etymology

Origin of protagonist

First recorded in 1665–75; from Greek prōtagōnistḗs “actor who plays the first part,” literally, “first combatant,” equivalent to prôt(os) “first” + agōnistḗs “one who contends for a prize, combatant, actor”; proto-, antagonist

Example Sentences

Yoshizawa and Yokohama bring abiding tenderness to their characters’ friendship while refusing to allow either protagonist to be reduced to a simple set of qualities.

From Los Angeles Times

The camera takes time to adore the young protagonists, to admire their excellent surfaces, to look them straight in their moody, broody, serious eyes.

From Los Angeles Times

He failed to remain the protagonist of the contest itself, albeit he did cheekily bow towards Suryakumar upon dismissing the man who was filmed mimicking his ways during Indian net sessions.

From BBC

For a novel like “The Rules of Attraction” to translate on screen, the viewer has to believe that its protagonist is not irredeemable.

From Salon

Yeah, I’ve read a lot of books I admire about singular protagonists.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• central character
• central figure
• hero
• heroine
• lead character
• leading character
• leading figure
• main character
• main figure
• principal
• principal character
• principal figure