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”; proto-, antagonist

Example Sentences

As in the movies, it was protection for the protagonist against those who would dare a challenge.

From The Wall Street Journal

Shot in the style of cinéma vérité, Mojica appears as both a narrator and protagonist.

From Los Angeles Times

Some readers imagine Kafka’s protagonist, Gregor Samsa, a hardworking salesman in a city that seems analogous to Kafka’s native Prague, has morphed into a cockroach.

From The Wall Street Journal

Carson McCullers’s 12-year-old protagonist, who lives in a small Southern town, is in crisis throughout the August weekend of her brother’s nuptials.

From The Wall Street Journal

A key protagonist in the protest movement was Reza Pahlavi, the son of the ousted shah.

From Barron's

Related Words

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