antiheroine

[an-tee-her-oh-in, an-tahy-]

noun

1. a female protagonist, as in a novel or play, whose attitudes and behavior are not typical of a conventional heroine.

Word History and Origins

Origin of antiheroine¹

First recorded in 1905–10; anti- + heroine

Example Sentences

“M3GAN 2.0” is another shiny display case for its violent antiheroine, an artificially intelligent doll with little regard for human life.

From Los Angeles Times

But as Ritter thickens her plot and ups the stakes, swapping con tricks for corpses, the book turns into a mystery, one that its antiheroine tries frantically to unravel.

From Los Angeles Times

Rachvelishvili sang Carmen, the role of her 2009 breakthrough, hundreds of times, and was scheduled to ring in 2024 as Bizet’s classic antiheroine in the splashy premiere of a new production at the Met.

From New York Times

Irina is the antiheroine of “Boy Parts,” adapted from Eliza Clark’s 2020 debut novel of the same name, and running at the Soho Theater, in London, through Nov. 25.

From New York Times

Schmieding had the Peacock show, "Rutherford Falls," but her "Reservation Dogs" turn sells her as a compelling antiheroine game for just about anything.

From Salon