Trivia Time

What ancient Greek dramatist introduced a "first actor" in a play, later called the protagonist?

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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”; see origin at proto-, antagonist

Explanation

A protagonist is the central character in a story: the protagonist of Huckleberry Finn is — guess who? — Huckleberry Finn. A novel, movie, or play might have many main characters, but it can really only have one protagonist — or maybe two in the case of, say, Romeo and Juliet. That's because protos means "first" in Greek, and agonistes means "competitor" or "actor." It can also mean a leading figure in a real-life situation: "Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis were the protagonists of the U.S. Civil War." Don't use it to mean "a supporter of an idea or cause"; the word you're looking for in that situation is proponent.

Example Sentences

Citing people familiar with the matter, The Wall Street Journal reported that pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson was in talks to buy Protagonist External link, in a deal that would cement the companies existing partnership.

From Barron's • Oct. 13, 2025

J&J is already working with Protagonist to develop an oral treatment for immune diseases including plaque psoriasis and ulcerative colitis and has the exclusive rights to commercialize the product.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 10, 2025

Protagonist Hai is the latest addition to their team.

From Los Angeles Times • May 12, 2025

This month’s award for Best Protagonist Name goes to the main character of Runyan’s novel, a restaurant reviewer named Tempèsta Luddington.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 30, 2024

The battle of life has left its tokens on the face of the strong, skillful Protagonist.

From Guy Livingstone; or, 'Thorough' by Lawrence, George A. (George Alfred)

Related Words

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