protagonist
the leading character, hero, or heroine of a drama or other literary work.
a proponent for or advocate of a political cause, social program, etc.
the leader or principal person in a movement, cause, etc.
the first actor in ancient Greek drama, who played not only the main role, but also other roles when the main character was offstage.: Compare deuteragonist, tritagonist.
Physiology. agonist.
Origin of protagonist
1Other words from protagonist
- pro·tag·o·nism, noun
Words that may be confused with protagonist
- 1. antagonist, protagonist
- 2. proponent, protagonist
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use protagonist in a sentence
In canvassing my tech reporter colleagues, a number cited Ex Machina—which sees the protagonist outsmarted by a sociopathic female robot—as a must-watch.
While the choices aren’t exciting, they eventually accumulate to turn Fenyx into one of the more responsive, dynamic protagonists to control this past year.
‘Immortals: Fenyx Rising’ is a worthy adventure wavering between cringe and charm | Gene Park | November 30, 2020 | Washington PostI actually had to look up who the protagonist was because, like the game on a whole, Shay was extremely forgettable.
All the ‘Assassin’s Creed’ games, ranked | Elise Favis, Gene Park | November 11, 2020 | Washington PostI was the main protagonist in the film, and then I eventually edited the film.
How Making a Film Led Isabel Sandoval to Come Out as Trans | Eugene Robinson | October 20, 2020 | OzyAs she attempts to recover the gaps in her grandfather’s stories, Lee’s journey through Taiwan departs from what we typically see from female protagonists in travel writing.
British Dictionary definitions for protagonist
/ (prəʊˈtæɡənɪst) /
the principal character in a play, story, etc
a supporter, esp when important or respected, of a cause, political party, etc
Origin of protagonist
1Derived forms of protagonist
- protagonism, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Cultural definitions for protagonist
[ (proh-tag-uh-nist) ]
The principal character in a literary work. Hamlet, for example, is the protagonist of the play by William Shakespeare that bears his name.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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