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protagonist

noun

prō-ˈta-gə-nist How to pronounce protagonist (audio)
Definition of protagonistnext
as in proponent
a person who actively supports or favors a cause Milton Friedman is usually cited as the leading American protagonist of monetarism

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of protagonist However, Barats’ pointed self-awareness about his protagonist’s naïveté doesn’t stop the character (and thus, the film at large) from feeling awkward and repetitive, even if this is partially the point. — Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 19 Sep. 2026 Three students emerge as protagonists, two troublemaking boys and an outcast girl, who unsteadily becomes their friend. — Taylor Antrim, Vogue, 19 Sep. 2026 Field noted that her performance was grounded but still irresistible to Newman’s protagonist. — Daysia Tolentino, Entertainment Weekly, 19 Sep. 2026 McBride reflects on Queen Mab’s protagonist, a 23-year-old graduate student of Victorian and modernist literature, who struggles to bond with her baby and begins to fear that her child is a changeling. — Fiction Non Fiction, Literary Hub, 17 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for protagonist
Recent Examples of Synonyms for protagonist
  1. proponent
  2. advocate
  3. supporter
  4. advocator
  5. exponent
  6. friend
Noun
  • For its proponents, a country could not be fully independent while its resources and institutions remained excessively dependent on decisions made elsewhere.
    — Andre Pagliarini, The Conversation, 22 Sep. 2026
  • The committee would reportedly include OMB director and Project 2025 proponent Russell Vought and NIH head Jay Bhattacharya.
    — Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of proponent
Noun
  • But advocates for broader vaccine restrictions have promised to renew their push in future legislative sessions.
    — Sally C. Pipes, Chicago Tribune, 20 Sep. 2026
  • The Block the Merger group, which includes 1st Amendment advocates and Hollywood celebrities, including Jane Fonda and Mark Ruffalo, called on Bonta and the 11 other attorneys general to hold out for major concessions.
    — Meg James, Los Angeles Times, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of advocate
Noun
  • Some of the nations attending the meeting in western Ukraine's Ivano-Frankivsk region, such as Poland and Romania, have been staunch supporters of Ukraine.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 19 Sep. 2026
  • Some of the nations attending the meeting in western Ukraine’s Ivano-Frankivsk region, such as Poland and Romania, have been staunch supporters of Ukraine.
    — Samya Kullab, Los Angeles Times, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of supporter
Noun
  • In the leadership and care phase, your role is that of an advocator.
    — Rodney C. Adkins, Forbes.com, 19 May 2026
Definition of advocator
Noun
  • Daniel Munoz, formerly with Glasner at Palace, is a key exponent of this.
    — Jacob Tanswell, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026
  • Likewise, the coefficients of the terms with prime exponents shape a modular form.
    — Quanta Magazine, Quanta Magazine, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of exponent
Noun
  • The person with the gun then pointed it at the vehicle's owner and her friend, and both robbers got in the vehicle and drove away, running over the friend's arm, the report says.
    — arkansasonline.com, arkansasonline.com, 23 Sep. 2026
  • At the Hotel Bellagio, I was joined by a photographer, Yael, as well as a friend of mine named Belisario and his wife, Elizabeth, who had both jumped at the opportunity to enjoy the hotel restaurant’s air-conditioning.
    — Belén Fernández, Harpers Magazine, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of friend

Browse Nearby Words

prosy
protagonist
protagonists
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Protagonist.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/protagonist. Accessed 23 Sep. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on protagonist

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about protagonist

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