heroine
Americannoun
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a woman noted for courageous acts or nobility of character.
Esther and other biblical heroines.
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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.
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the principal female character in a story, play, film, etc.
noun
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a woman possessing heroic qualities
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a woman idealized for possessing superior qualities
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the main female character in a novel, play, film, etc
Gender
See hero.
Other Word Forms
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.
Vocabulary lists containing heroine
Wonder Woman's Superpower Words
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Reading: Literature - Middle School
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Reading: Literature - High School
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
By highlighting Eve’s rebellion alongside her beauty, ads framed her as a fashion heroine.
From Salon • May 17, 2026
Sitting next to me was a fan, no older than 18, who'd left Cyprus on his own for the first time, determined to see his heroine.
From BBC • May 2, 2026
Narratively, their characters — a heroine and her nemesis — shouldn’t dress as though they could swap wardrobes.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 29, 2026
Subsequently, the release of a video of a separate dispute in 2023 led to the shelving of Season 22 of ABC’s “The Bachelorette,” which featured Paul as its heroine.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2026
And much of that was thanks to cells from one woman, “an unsung heroine of medicine.”
From "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
