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.

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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

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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

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

“Moana” became a box office hit, captivating audiences with catchy earworms from Lin-Manuel Miranda and a spunky young heroine who rejected the label of princess.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2026

"Like its own heroine, it feels stuck somewhere between the show it thought it wanted to be and the show it has the potential to become," she wrote.

From BBC ● Jun. 30, 2026

Suddenly there’s interest from a yes-chef-centric prestige drama called “The Boar,” as well as the return of an old eating disorder that has our heroine sneaking off to the bathroom, in danger of toppling everything.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 26, 2026

The interview woman is delirious at the good fortune of meeting both sister and daughter of the heroine of the Fourteenth of June underground.

From "In the Time of the Butterflies" by Julia Alvarez

As heroines Brenda and Cindy, respectively, Hall and Faris were daffy, dopey and committed.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 5, 2026

He’s a little too awful for me, but I do think we could use less sanitized heroes and heroines in modern love stories.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 10, 2026

She has made images of performers such as Charles Dance and Roger Daltrey and Second World War heroines such as Noor Inayat Khan and Violette Szabo.

From BBC ● Jan. 22, 2026

Generations of readers have turned its eponymous heroines into cult figures, but the March sisters are more than stereotypes.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 14, 2025

These heroines were always willowy and managed to land in graceful postures of repose, and were revived with the merest passing of a decorated flagon of smelling salts under their noses.

From "The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate" by Jacqueline Kelly

Related Words

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