protagonist

[proh-tag-uh-nist]

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

/ 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

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of protagonist¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of protagonist¹

C17: from Greek prōtagōnistēs, from prōtos first + agōnistēs actor

Example Sentences

Most of the protagonists are women, brought to life through Alvarez’s taut, shining sentences.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The Red Bull driver starts third, the three title protagonists all together at the front of the grid.

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Cue the moral crisis for the naive protagonist who realizes almost too late that the reward isn’t worth the hefty price.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The case has sparked public outcry in South Korea, with labour unions comparing the worker to Jean Valjean, the protagonist of French classic novel "Les Miserables" jailed for stealing bread to feed his siblings.

Read more on Barron's

Its protagonist is a hapless writer who nonsensically gets caught up in secret-agent intrigue.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• central character www.thesaurus.com
• central figure www.thesaurus.com
• hero 
• heroine 
• lead character www.thesaurus.com
• leading character www.thesaurus.com
• leading figure www.thesaurus.com
• main character www.thesaurus.com
• main figure www.thesaurus.com
• principal 
• principal character www.thesaurus.com
• principal figure www.thesaurus.com