heroine

American  

[her-oh-in] / ˈhɛr oʊ ɪn /

noun

• heroines
  plural

1. a woman noted for courageous acts or nobility of character.

   Esther and other biblical heroines.

2. a woman who, in the opinion of others, has special achievements, abilities, or personal qualities and is regarded as a role model or ideal.

   Name two women who have been heroines in your life.

3. the principal female character in a story, play, film, etc.

---

heroine British  

/ ˈhɛrəʊɪn /

noun

1. a woman possessing heroic qualities

2. a woman idealized for possessing superior qualities

3. the main female character in a novel, play, film, etc

---

Gender

See hero.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• superheroine
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• heroines
  plural

Etymology

Origin of heroine

1650–60; < Latin hērōīnē < Greek hērōī́nē, feminine of hḗrōs hero; see -ine ²

Explanation

A heroine is a real-life or fictional woman who has lots of courage and fights on the side of good, maybe by rescuing a kitten from a tree, slaying an evil dragon, or helping you with your science fair project. In books and movies, the heroine is the woman who is the main character, and in comic books and fantasy novels, heroines often have superpowers that help them accomplish incredible feats. There are heroines in regular life too, like women’s rights activists who fight against sexism, or a brave mother who rescues her child from a burning building. Heroine sounds the same as the addictive drug heroin, but a heroine will save your life, while heroin will probably end it.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

heroine heroines

Phillips never denies she is an unlikable heroine but blames sexism for her professional collapse.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026

She also paid tribute to the "heroine of this story" - her mother - who "kept the home warm and cheerful, and encouraged us to get qualified and independent".

From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026

The situation unraveled just as Paul was poised to make her debut as the heroine of the 22nd season of “The Bachelorette.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026

Think of it more as an inversion, with a bottom-up view of its heroine Emma Harte’s life viewed through parallel timelines.

From Salon ● Jul. 19, 2026

There was a villainess, also in love with the handsome young minister, and out to get the heroine.

From "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith

“I was using Riefenstahl to point out, or so I thought, that these heroes and heroines were straight out of Nazi propaganda,” Verhoeven told The Guardian in 2018.

From Salon ● Sep. 9, 2026

I could easily hail “Howl’s Moving Castle” as a tribute to maturity, especially when placed against other Miyazaki stories starring young heroines setting out on adventures.

From Salon ● Aug. 4, 2026

What interests you about the struggles of your 20-something heroines?

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 27, 2026

You can’t help rooting for Colleen Hoover heroines, bless their bruised hearts.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 12, 2026

A crisis in a heroines life could be made to coincide with hailstones, gales and thunder, whereas nuptials were generally blessed with good light and soft breezes.

From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan

Related Words

• beau ideal
• eidolon
• epitome
• example
• exemplar
• good example
• icon
• ideal
• idol
• model
• paragon
• person to look up to
• role model
• shining example