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
Like Lerner’s previous protagonists, the narrator is something of an intellectual klutz, at once Chekhov and Chaplin.
—
Giles Harvey, New Yorker, 30 Mar. 2026
The takeaway here is much more sobering than those of cinema’s other big animal fantasies, in which the hardworking mammalian protagonists tend to triumph over adversity.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 26 Mar. 2026
The characters are precisely strange, interestingly fumbling, and share with Days and Nights’s protagonists an anxious impatience and confusion.
—James Folta, Literary Hub, 25 Mar. 2026
As with Golaszewski’s previous BBC work like Him & Her and Mum, Babies, which is produced by Mrs Wilson maker Snowed-In Productions, is an intimate portrait of a relationship, with plenty humor, and much of it was set in the protagonists’ flat.
—Max Goldbart, Deadline, 25 Mar. 2026
In his most recent projects with Arab women directors, his protagonists also expand our understanding of the radical act of surviving genocide, repression, and conservatism.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 24 Mar. 2026
Back at home, Score starts with a rough character sketch of her protagonists and then fleshes out the scenes, writing in strict 25-minute increments.
—Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 22 Mar. 2026
According to the full plot description on Amazon, our protagonists have more to worry about than just severed fingers.
—Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 19 Mar. 2026
The protagonists move in a secretive world of the super-rich that is typically shielded from the public’s view.
—Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 19 Mar. 2026
Giles Harvey, New Yorker, 30 Mar. 2026
The takeaway here is much more sobering than those of cinema’s other big animal fantasies, in which the hardworking mammalian protagonists tend to triumph over adversity.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 26 Mar. 2026
The characters are precisely strange, interestingly fumbling, and share with Days and Nights’s protagonists an anxious impatience and confusion.
—James Folta, Literary Hub, 25 Mar. 2026
As with Golaszewski’s previous BBC work like Him & Her and Mum, Babies, which is produced by Mrs Wilson maker Snowed-In Productions, is an intimate portrait of a relationship, with plenty humor, and much of it was set in the protagonists’ flat.
—Max Goldbart, Deadline, 25 Mar. 2026
In his most recent projects with Arab women directors, his protagonists also expand our understanding of the radical act of surviving genocide, repression, and conservatism.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 24 Mar. 2026
Back at home, Score starts with a rough character sketch of her protagonists and then fleshes out the scenes, writing in strict 25-minute increments.
—Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 22 Mar. 2026
According to the full plot description on Amazon, our protagonists have more to worry about than just severed fingers.
—Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 19 Mar. 2026
The protagonists move in a secretive world of the super-rich that is typically shielded from the public’s view.
—Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 19 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for protagonists
Noun
-
Even proponents acknowledge limitations.—
Claire Dodds,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Mar. 2026
-
While proponents say changes have made streets safer, critics suspect projects that reduce space for cars will only make traffic congestion worse — even after the construction disruptions end.—
Bruce Finley,
Denver Post,
29 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
After the Justice Department memo, however, the president suggested there was nothing more to say about Epstein and the country, including his own supporters, should simply move on.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
3 Apr. 2026
-
The official campaign had focussed its resources on Iowa and New Hampshire, which left a late-primary state like New York with few channels for supporters’ enthusiasm.—
Molly Fischer,
New Yorker,
2 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
After years of working to rid Missouri of abusive Christian boarding schools, child advocates and some lawmakers fear a bill still alive in the legislature would undo that effort.—
Judy L. Thomas,
Kansas City Star,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Consumer advocates said the findings support SB 1076, a bill that would require insurers to offer coverage to homeowners who meet state fire safety standards.—
City News Service,
Daily News,
31 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The young girl is reading at a 12th-grade level and mastering math concepts such as fractions, decimals and even exponents.—
Jasmine Viel,
CBS News,
28 Mar. 2026
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Among the most powerful exponents of this view are billionaires Peter Thiel and Marc Andreessen; both venture capitalists have their own investments in the nuclear energy sector and are influential Trump supporters.—
Avi Asher-Schapiro,
ProPublica,
24 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Neither the artist’s team nor local promoters have issued an official statement regarding the cancellation or the rescheduling of the Milan concert, or possible adjustments to the immediate tour schedule.—
Franchesca Guim,
Billboard,
26 Mar. 2026
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Today, the self-congratulation of white liberals has been displaced by white-supremacist promoters of Western civilization who don’t merely posit but brutally enforce inequality between races, peoples, cultures, and nation-states.—
Christine Smallwood,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Protagonists.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/protagonists. Accessed 3 Apr. 2026.
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