protagonist
noun
the leading character, hero, or heroine of a drama or other literary work.
protagonists
-
pluralof protagonist.plural
The grammatical form denoting more than one person, place, thing, or idea.
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.
In Irvine Welsh’s “Men in Love,” each of the four male protagonists has a different approach.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
After Netflix greenlit a two-hour finale instead, Oseman elected to zero in on her protagonists — not unlike her comics — rather than give each character their own, heavily condensed arc.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026
The likes of Alexander Sorloth, Jorgen Strand Larsen and Oscar Bobb are also established top-level players, while Patrick Berg, Sander Berge and Antonio Nusa have been unexpected protagonists.
From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026
Winocour wisely places all of her protagonists in different fields within the same industry, and at different points in their careers.
From Salon ● Jun. 29, 2026
It’s worth looking at a couple of tricks that allow O’Connor to keep this unblinking focus on his protagonists.
From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker
