PROTAGONISTS Synonyms: 44 Similar and Opposite Words

protagonists

noun

plural of protagonist

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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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 protagonists The road trip narrative is a familiar sub-genre, but from On the Road to The Grapes of Wrath to Thelma and Louise, the Great American Road Trip has always seemed like the purview of white protagonists. — Literary Hub, 17 Sep. 2026 The show is really interesting in that there are sort of these two protagonists. — Lisa De Los Reyes, HollywoodReporter, 16 Sep. 2026 These nine classics skillfully keep audiences guessing while depicting different kinds of waking nightmares, making the protagonists’ traumas our own for a few entertaining hours. — David Faris, TheWeek, 14 Sep. 2026 There’s an understandable pacing dip afterward, when the wounded villagers think the nightmare is over and our protagonists learn separately that the forest holds more of these mysteriously strong creatures. — Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 11 Sep. 2026 Haney tells Deadline his initial goal was to make a 12-minute short documentary featuring one or two protagonists. — Matthew Carey, Deadline, 11 Sep. 2026 The production is seeking 30% of financing, key crew and talent for 1–2 co-protagonists, including international investigators. — Anna Marie De La Fuente, Variety, 9 Sep. 2026 The protagonists span generations, though McBride focusses on flawed men in their thirties and forties, much as Klay, Lefferts, and Conroe do. — T. M. Brown, New Yorker, 8 Sep. 2026 Not for the first time in recent history, a Madrid win in the Champions League had the same two main protagonists. — Dermot Corrigan, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for protagonists

Noun

School choice proponents often say the rapid increase in participation only shows the enormous demand for such programs.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 16 Sep. 2026
There are obvious health risks with this process, despite the insistence by a lot of gray market proponents that everything is safe.

— Kara McGrath, Allure, 15 Sep. 2026

Definition of proponents

Noun

Few would begrudge Mohamed Salah his Professional Footballers’ Association Player of the Year prize for his 2024-25 season with Liverpool, but there are always reflected glories back to the club and its supporters.

— Philip Buckingham, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
An Alabama woman accused of causing a deadly crash while driving a school bus experienced a medical crisis during the accident, her supporters reportedly said.

— Louis Casiano, FOXNews.com, 7 Sep. 2026

Definition of supporters

Noun

But advocates for people in poverty warned that the gains might be short-lived.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 16 Sep. 2026
On social media and in legal filings, animal advocates complain that the 50-block zone in downtown Los Angeles that’s home to thousands of unhoused people is an epicenter of animal neglect and cruelty.

— Sandra McDonald, Los Angeles Times, 15 Sep. 2026

Definition of advocates

Noun

Which trace from our Galois representation clings to each of these terms with prime exponents depends on how our equation, , behaves in a number field defined by that particular prime.

— Quanta Magazine, Quanta Magazine, 9 Sep. 2026
His mind didn’t go blank; rather, all the what-ifs multiplied like exponents, crowding his thoughts and rendering him unable to envision anything else.

— Min Jin Lee, New Yorker, 19 July 2026

Definition of exponents

Noun

Avsec said AlphaGenome works well for some classes of variant, such as those affecting splicing or promoters, but can miss others, particularly in enhancers.

— Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 8 Sep. 2026
At the time, there was no real professional scene for female fighters, with the major promoters not seeing any commercial value in it.

— Sarah Shephard, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2026

Definition of promoters

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protagonist

protagonists

protean

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“Protagonists.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/protagonists. Accessed 17 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of protagonists

noun

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