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 John Field, one of Li’s two protagonists, was in fact a classical pianist of some repute, having invented the nocturne form of composition that Chopin would make famous in Field’s lifetime. — Los Angeles Times, 13 Oct. 2026 The boundary of life is clearly marked for Austen’s protagonists, in geography as well as in status. — Yiyun Li, New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2026 To put the ensemble on equal footing, La Bola Negra will be running its three protagonists in Supporting Actor. — Nate Jones, Vulture, 9 Oct. 2026 Multiple New York Times opinion columnists have argued that straight men aren’t reading for lack of relatable protagonists. — Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 8 Oct. 2026 The perspective and agency of the protagonists shift, motivated by their desire for justice and reparations. — Christopher Vourlias, Variety, 7 Oct. 2026 While finishing her new novel ‘American Hagwon,’ author Min Jin Lee traveled to Sydney to discover how the city may have shaped her fictional protagonists. — Matt Ortile, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 Sep. 2026 When the race goes green on Sunday, Ryan Blaney and Carson Hocevar — protagonists in a late accident at Bristol and the fistfight that followed — will be subjects of intense scrutiny. — Reid Spencer, Kansas City Star, 24 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for protagonists

Noun

That could explain why spinning galaxies can be held together without needing an extra source of gravity from dark matter, its proponents have argued.

— Quanta Magazine, Quanta Magazine, 14 Oct. 2026
Peptide proponents argue that shoddy manufacturing — not the peptides — causes harm.

— CNN Money, CNN Money, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of proponents

Noun

Student groups protesting since mid-September through school blockades have urged supporters to join them.

— SYLVIE CORBET, Arkansas Online, 18 Oct. 2026
An hour before a ball was even kicked on Sunday afternoon, the beating of drums and chanting from the River Guard supporters group could be heard loud and clear from the locker rooms at the Boas Soccer Complex.

— Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of supporters

Noun

In March 2026, two presidential commissions recommended that the evictions continue in order to protect wildlife, in a process that included few Maasai, Indigenous peoples’ advocates at the Oakland Institute reported.

— David Ginsburg, The Conversation, 20 Oct. 2026
That's one reason Levin, along with many other public school advocates, continues to push back against the tax credit.

— Cory Turner, NPR, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of advocates

Noun

Grupo Duelo, one of the most prominent exponents of norteño tejano music, will be part of the Billboard Latin Music Week 2026, representing traditional regional Mexican music.

— Tere Aguilera, Billboard, 9 Oct. 2026
Of course, there are also age-old hustles so evidently dishonest that there was a time when their exponents risked being hung or shot.

— Kit Chellel, Fortune, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of exponents

Noun

Two vocal supporters of Democratic gubernatorial hopeful Xavier Becerra filed a formal campaign finance complaint against his rival, Steve Hilton, on Tuesday over the Republican campaign’s use of paid online promoters.

— Ben Paviour, Sacbee.com, 2 Oct. 2026
Fears about a future AI apocalypse distract us from its present-day harms — just as its promoters hope.

— Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 30 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 21 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of protagonists

noun

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