protagonist
[ proh-tag-uh-nist ]
/ proʊˈtæg ə nɪst /
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noun
the leading character, hero, or heroine of a drama or other literary work.
a proponent for or advocate of a political cause, social program, etc.
the leader or principal person in a movement, cause, etc.
the first actor in ancient Greek drama, who played not only the main role, but also other roles when the main character was offstage.Compare deuteragonist, tritagonist.
Physiology. agonist.
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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”; see origin at proto-, antagonist
OTHER WORDS FROM protagonist
pro·tag·o·nism, nounDictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022
How to use protagonist in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for protagonist
protagonist
/ (prəʊˈtæɡənɪst) /
noun
the principal character in a play, story, etc
a supporter, esp when important or respected, of a cause, political party, etc
Derived forms of protagonist
protagonism, nounWord Origin for protagonist
C17: from Greek prōtagōnistēs, from prōtos first + agōnistēs actor
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Cultural definitions for protagonist
protagonist
[ (proh-tag-uh-nist) ]
The principal character in a literary work. Hamlet, for example, is the protagonist of the play by William Shakespeare that bears his name.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.