heroine

noun

her·​o·​ine ˈher-ə-wən How to pronounce heroine (audio)
ˈhir-,
ˈhe-rə- How to pronounce heroine (audio)
1
a
: a mythological or legendary woman often of divine descent having great strength or ability
b
: a woman admired and emulated for her achievements and qualities
American heroines such as Eleanor Roosevelt and Rosa Parks
remembered as the heroine of the flood
2
a
: the principal female character in a literary or dramatic work
the heroine of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet
b
: the central female figure in an event or period

Examples of heroine in a Sentence

The town remembered her as the heroine of the flood and erected a statue in her honor.
Recent Examples on the Web Subtleties like these abound in these prints, whose heroines often gaze boldly at the viewer but who are depicted with exquisite delicacy. Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 8 Sep. 2023 Our heroine has the tools: a hatchet, a knife and a flint. Bethanne Patrick, Los Angeles Times, 7 Sep. 2023 Surprisingly, even our heroine is dealt short shrift in each story track. Courtney Howard, Variety, 31 Aug. 2023 While training for a marathon, the heroine of this novel summons her grandfather, a distance runner whose hopes to represent Korea in the 1940 Tokyo Olympics were dashed. New York Times, 25 Aug. 2023 In these remakes, the journey to happily ever after feels so much more nuanced and their heroines have some ownership over their stories. Zara Hanawalt, Parents, 21 Aug. 2023 Now she was being trumpeted as not only a Negro player, but a heroine forging the way for the entire Negro race. Sally H. Jacobs, Town & Country, 15 Aug. 2023 As a student at Duke University, recent graduate Lindsay Dial wrote a paper on bi heroines in romance novels. USA TODAY, 14 Aug. 2023 Ahsoka picks up where its titular heroine's storyline left off in the series finale of Rebels, which aired in March 2018 and left the fates of several fan-favorite Ghost crew members open-ended. Megan McCluskey, Time, 23 Aug. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'heroine.' 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

Latin heroina, from Greek hērōinē, feminine of hērōs

First Known Use

1587, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of heroine was in 1587

Dictionary Entries Near heroine

Cite this Entry

“Heroine.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/heroine. Accessed 1 Oct. 2023.

Kids Definition

heroine

noun
her·​o·​ine ˈher-ə-wən How to pronounce heroine (audio)
1
: a woman in legends or myths who has great courage and daring
2
: a woman admired for her achievements and qualities
3
: the chief female figure in a literary work or in an event or period
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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