protagonist

play

noun pro·tag·o·nist \ prō-ˈta-gə-nist \

Definition of protagonist

1 a :the principal character in a literary work (such as a drama or story)

b :a leading actor, character, or participant in a literary work or real event

2 :a leader, proponent, or supporter of a cause :champion

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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 of protagonist from the Web

In this op-ed, Digital West Coast Editor Ella Cerón explores why dismissing a film like Wonder Woman because of how its protagonist looks misses the film's greater point.

— ella ceron, Teen Vogue, "James Cameron Called "Wonder Woman" an "Objectified Icon," Which Misses the Film's Point," 25 Aug. 2017
For some reason, the screenwriters decided to anoint Chambers as our main protagonist, which doesn't work at all.

— richard white, Popular Mechanics, "'The Dark Tower' Is a Gunslinging Disaster," 8 Aug. 2017
Thankfully, our protagonists are making it through.

— cate young, Cosmopolitan, "Issa Discovers the Joy of Casual Sex on This Week's Insecure," 7 Aug. 2017
Both these conceits are trendy rather than serious, the stuff of comic books and romance novels, with ridiculously self-involved and absurdly cruel protagonists.

— armond white, National Review, "From the Land of the Moon," 28 July 2017
Cane’s protagonist is loosely based off of the author, Jean Toomer, a black man descended from mixed-race former slaves.

— danielle jackson, Longreads, "The 1923 Novel That Helps Us Understand Today’s Racial Climate," 18 July 2017
As the Guardian reports, the note includes a quote spoken by Pride and Prejudice character Caroline Bingley, who viewed actual avid bookworm protagonist Elizabeth Bennet as her main rival for the affections of Mr. Darcy.

— lisa ryan, The Cut, "New £10 Jane Austen Bill Includes Inspirational Quote About Reading From Character Who Hates Reading," 18 July 2017
Film Science Fiction’s Under-Appreciated Feminist Icon—Gabrielle Bellot celebrates one of the genre’s first protagonists to own her own womanhood.

— the editors, The Atlantic, "The Atlantic’s Week in Culture," 14 July 2017
Anyone familiar with Fitzgerald’s novels, however, knows that like Jay Gatsby and all the writer’s protagonists, Stahr’s real model is Fitzgerald, a onetime boy wonder himself.

— steve erickson, Los Angeles Magazine, "F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Ghost Haunts Amazon’s Latest Series The Last Tycoon," 13 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'protagonist.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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".

Origin and Etymology of protagonist

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1671

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