protagonist

noun

pro·​tag·​o·​nist prō-ˈta-gə-nist How to pronounce protagonist (audio)
1
a(1)
: the principal character in a literary work (such as a drama or story)
(2)
: the leading actor or principal character in a television show, movie, book, etc.
b
: an active participant in an event
2
: a leader, proponent, or supporter of a cause : champion

Did you know?

Struggle, or conflict, is central to drama. The protagonist or hero of a play, novel, or film is involved in a struggle of some kind, either against someone or something else or even against his or her own emotions. So the hero is the "first struggler", which is the literal meaning of the Greek word prōtagōnistēs. A character who opposes the hero is the antagonist, from a Greek verb that means literally "to struggle against".

Examples of protagonist in a Sentence

Badlands has two protagonists and Days of Heaven four (though both movies are rich in colorful minor roles). Richard Alleva, Commonweal, 12 Mar. 1999
The protagonists of Gordon's fiction are children who have been saddled with their parents' emotional bad debts. Judith Thurman, New Yorker, 12 Mar. 1990
The most adamant opposition to my argument is likely to come from protagonists of secular reason … Glenn Finder, Atlantic, December 1989
She was a leading protagonist in the civil rights movement. Milton Friedman is usually cited as the leading American protagonist of monetarism.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Our protagonists can’t like each other too much at the start: Oliver (Darren Criss, as shellacked as a brunette Ken doll, with similarly hinged joints) is a Helperbot 3, an older model of a popular line of humanoid robots that are essentially Jeeves powered by battery. Sara Holdren, Vulture, 12 Nov. 2024 And how does the movie end for our two protagonists, Lucy and Summer? Lissete Lanuza Sáenz, StyleCaster, 5 Nov. 2024 His protagonist was a professor of French literature, not exactly a traditionally Japanese pursuit. Mark Schilling, Variety, 3 Nov. 2024 The three main protagonists are a celebrated actress, her wealthy businessman husband who is kidnapped and a policeman who was the woman’s friend in earlier years but who has become estranged. Patrick Frater, Variety, 5 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for protagonist 

Word History

Etymology

Greek prōtagōnistēs, from prōt- prot- + agōnistēs competitor at games, actor, from agōnizesthai to compete, from agōn contest, competition at games — more at agony

First Known Use

1671, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of protagonist was in 1671

Dictionary Entries Near protagonist

Cite this Entry

“Protagonist.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/protagonist. Accessed 24 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

protagonist

noun
pro·​tag·​o·​nist prō-ˈtag-ə-nəst How to pronounce protagonist (audio)
: the chief character in a play, novel, or story

More from Merriam-Webster on protagonist

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!