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

Her sales pitch hinges on the heartthrob protagonist: “He’s like a hot conspiracy theorist. If there even is such a thing.”

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He was overjoyed that the fans were already engaging with film's main protagonist, on a deep level.

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It’s the perfect setting, in other words, for a novel by Mr. Banville, who is a master of shadow and suggestion and whose protagonists are often elusive, wavering and easily corrupted.

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Several of her books involve love triangles in which a woman is torn between two men, one of whom readers will recognize as patently unsuitable before her protagonist does.

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He’s stepping in as protagonist pilot Hig after Mescal dropped out.

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