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 So to have Yasuda pen the protagonist’s G-Self mobile suit was and still is great. Ollie Barder, Forbes, 25 Oct. 2024 Over the course of 68 minutes, Diop’s camera gradually finds its protagonist, a near life-size sculpture of King Ghezo that is held within a glass case. Alex Greenberger, ARTnews.com, 24 Oct. 2024 The protagonist’s extraordinary journey gives readers plenty of space to think about the ways that suffering lives in our own bodies, and the nature of human resilience. Hazlitt, 23 Oct. 2024 Your character, Sam, the show’s protagonist, has made painfully—but relatably—slow progress at learning to value herself and let people into her life. Judy Berman, TIME, 23 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for protagonist 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'protagonist.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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 4 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

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