as in proponents
a person who actively supports or favors a cause
Milton Friedman is usually cited as the leading American protagonist of monetarism
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Recent Examples of protagonists
The author could herself be considered predatorial, having written her own children in as the books’ protagonists, saddling them with a strange kind of fame.
—
Literary Hub, 2 June 2026
Their protagonists tend to be runaways—men who join whaling expeditions in their haste to dodge the malaise that sets in on shore, boys who board rafts floating down the Mississippi to evade their guardians and their chores.
—Becca Rothfeld, New Yorker, 1 June 2026
Like Stranger Things, The Boroughs makes great use of the fact that no one believes a word its protagonists say.
—Graham Hillard, The Washington Examiner, 31 May 2026
Chief among them was his conviction that fully AI protagonists will soon deliver big box office hits.
—Dade Hayes, Deadline, 31 May 2026
The film is a closely wound chamber drama charting stormy weather both meteorological and emotional, of the film's main protagonists.
—Daniel Jonah Wolpert, NPR, 29 May 2026
While their saga has come to an end, the show will employ a Bridgerton-esque strategy in its next season, featuring side characters (the respective best friends of season one’s protagonists) as the next season’s main characters.
—Kenneal Patterson, Vanity Fair, 29 May 2026
Filmmakers trying to rack up the bodies didn’t necessarily care whether the protagonists made believable decisions, as long as those decisions led toward sufficiently graphic kills.
—Tasha Robinson, Vulture, 29 May 2026
The creators were determined to portray their senior characters as courageous protagonists rather than comic relief.
—Dana Feldman, Forbes.com, 25 May 2026
Literary Hub, 2 June 2026
Their protagonists tend to be runaways—men who join whaling expeditions in their haste to dodge the malaise that sets in on shore, boys who board rafts floating down the Mississippi to evade their guardians and their chores.
—Becca Rothfeld, New Yorker, 1 June 2026
Like Stranger Things, The Boroughs makes great use of the fact that no one believes a word its protagonists say.
—Graham Hillard, The Washington Examiner, 31 May 2026
Chief among them was his conviction that fully AI protagonists will soon deliver big box office hits.
—Dade Hayes, Deadline, 31 May 2026
The film is a closely wound chamber drama charting stormy weather both meteorological and emotional, of the film's main protagonists.
—Daniel Jonah Wolpert, NPR, 29 May 2026
While their saga has come to an end, the show will employ a Bridgerton-esque strategy in its next season, featuring side characters (the respective best friends of season one’s protagonists) as the next season’s main characters.
—Kenneal Patterson, Vanity Fair, 29 May 2026
Filmmakers trying to rack up the bodies didn’t necessarily care whether the protagonists made believable decisions, as long as those decisions led toward sufficiently graphic kills.
—Tasha Robinson, Vulture, 29 May 2026
The creators were determined to portray their senior characters as courageous protagonists rather than comic relief.
—Dana Feldman, Forbes.com, 25 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for protagonists
Noun
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But for longtime leaders of education organizations and tech proponents, the book has become a problem.—
Tyler Kingkade,
NBC news,
31 May 2026
-
Whatever proponents call these statutes, the national effect is the same.—
Yaël Ossowski,
Boston Herald,
30 May 2026
Noun
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In Strasbourg, groups of Palace supporters clashed among themselves in a square in the city centre, marring the occasion.—
Matt Woosnam,
New York Times,
28 May 2026
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New Hampshire, which rejected the DNC’s plan, held a leadoff primary ahead of South Carolina anyway, and Biden — who didn’t campaign or have his name on the ballot — still won by a sizable margin after supporters mounted a write-in campaign on his behalf.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
28 May 2026
Noun
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Both plans encountered staunch opposition from environmental groups and farming advocates and were eventually withdrawn.—
Paul Rogers,
Mercury News,
1 June 2026
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His experience highlights what many disability advocates refer to as the hidden labor of accessibility.—
Keely Cat-Wells,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2026
Noun
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This movement, known as critical legal studies, was associated with the political left, and its exponents, known as crits, loved to disparage liberal theorists’ devotion to the Constitution as naïve and counterproductive.—
Kelefa Sanneh,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
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Of course, Huang wasn’t talking to just anyone, but one of the chief exponents of the wealth tax, nationwide and in California.—
Jacqueline Munis,
Fortune,
23 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Nio signed on several brand promoters, including Robin Zeng, the CEO of CATL, the industry's battery giant, who affirmed in a marketing video that about 2,000 of his employees had bought Nio cars.—
Evelyn Cheng,
CNBC,
28 May 2026
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Practical approaches to foster this connection can include participating in smaller club takeovers and hosting intimate pre-festival events that allow promoters, artists and brands to build direct relationships with audiences.—
Sunita Dhaliwal,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Protagonists.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/protagonists. Accessed 3 Jun. 2026.
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