antihero

noun

an·​ti·​he·​ro
ˈan-tē-ˌhē-(ˌ)rō,
ˈan-ˌtī- How to pronounce antihero (audio)
-ˌhir-(ˌ)ō
plural antiheroes
: a protagonist or notable figure who is conspicuously lacking in heroic qualities
antiheroic
ˌan-tē-hi-ˈrō-ik
ˌan-ˌtī- How to pronounce antihero (audio)
adjective

Examples of antihero in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The Hussein family named one of its secret investment vehicles Montana Management, allegedly as a tribute to the antihero of the 1983 movie Scarface. Gideon Rose, Foreign Affairs, 20 Feb. 2024 After blackmailing his wife's boss for the money, his scheming is quickly found out, leading to multiple dead bodies, wrongful imprisonment, and an existential crisis for the aloof antihero at its center. Tim Moffatt, EW.com, 26 Jan. 2024 Shelley had recently lost a premature, 2-week-old child; the idea of creating and losing life was surely top of mind and easily transferable to her antihero, the dangerously ambitious Dr. Victor Frankenstein. Chris Vognar, Los Angeles Times, 15 Feb. 2024 But then again, that 25-year golden age of television was incredibly white — white male antiheroes literally getting away with murder. Lester Fabian Brathwaite, EW.com, 14 Jan. 2024 So, which of Good Grief’s three antiheroes does Levy relate to the most? José Criales-Unzueta, Vogue, 4 Jan. 2024 But that's a testament to just how well the S4 writers turned the tables on their antihero to create another delightfully compulsive binge-watch. Ars Staff, Ars Technica, 29 Dec. 2023 The trailer also confirmed rumors that the Time Variance Authority, the multi-verse hopping organization at the center of Disney+’s Loki, will play a key role in the film, which introduces Ryan Reynolds’ antihero to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Aaron Couch, The Hollywood Reporter, 11 Feb. 2024 In an era of superheroes and comfort viewing (thanks, Ted Lasso), Cillian Murphy’s J. Robert Oppenheimer is an antihero, a rarity as the lead of a $100 million Imax film. Peter Biskind, The Hollywood Reporter, 26 Jan. 2024

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

Word History

First Known Use

1714, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of antihero was in 1714

Dictionary Entries Near antihero

Cite this Entry

“Antihero.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/antihero. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

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