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.

---

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

---

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.

---

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

Some of their questions were about possible futures for “The Untamed State” protagonist, Mireille.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 9, 2026

Ronaldinho was a regular protagonist, so too Jay-Jay Okocha, inspiring wide-eyed kids and optimistic adults to attempt the same magic manoeuvres in playgrounds and sparsely-grassed pitches up and down the land.

From BBC • Mar. 24, 2026

"The film stands out, just like its protagonist," he said.

From Barron's • Mar. 16, 2026

Its protagonist, Janey Devine, is a punk-rock-loving 12-year-old girl.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 13, 2026

After Aisha introduced the protagonist, Safiya provided the setting and central conflict, and Nademah took it from there.

From "Zeitoun" by Dave Eggers

Related Words

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