antiheroine

American  

[an-tee-her-oh-in, an-tahy-] / ˈæn tiˌhɛr oʊ ɪn, ˈæn taɪ- /

noun

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

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Etymology

Origin of antiheroine

First recorded in 1905–10; anti- + heroine

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

antiheroine

Because unlike previous spins on “Carrie,” in which the antiheroine dies at the end like her mother and her peers, Flanagan’s TV series is headed in a different direction.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026

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 ● Mar. 21, 2025

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 ● Aug. 2, 2023

It doesn’t feel very nice to call somebody a born Elektra, but Goerke sounded uncannily at home in the house fire of this antiheroine.

From Washington Post ● Oct. 30, 2022

“Cruella” is a film about fashion, and it contains the category’s most striking garment, the garbage-truck dress that trails our antiheroine as she makes a public mockery of her rival.

From New York Times ● Mar. 24, 2022

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