protagonist

noun

pro·​tag·​o·​nist prō-ˈta-gə-nist 

1

a(1)

: the principal character in a literary work (such as a drama or story)

(2)

: the leading actor or principal character in a television show, movie, book, etc.

b

: an active participant in an event

2

: a leader, proponent, or supporter of a cause : champion

Did you know?

Struggle, or conflict, is central to drama. The protagonist or hero of a play, novel, or film is involved in a struggle of some kind, either against someone or something else or even against his or her own emotions. So the hero is the "first struggler", which is the literal meaning of the Greek word prōtagōnistēs. A character who opposes the hero is the antagonist, from a Greek verb that means literally "to struggle against".

Synonyms

• advocate
• advocator
• apostle
• backer
• booster
• champion
• espouser
• exponent
• expounder
• friend
• gospeler
• gospeller
• herald
• hierophant
• high priest
• paladin
• promoter
• proponent
• supporter
• true believer
• tub-thumper
• white knight

Examples of protagonist in a Sentence

Badlands has two protagonists and Days of Heaven four (though both movies are rich in colorful minor roles). —Richard Alleva, Commonweal, 12 Mar. 1999

The protagonists of Gordon's fiction are children who have been saddled with their parents' emotional bad debts. —Judith Thurman, New Yorker, 12 Mar. 1990

The most adamant opposition to my argument is likely to come from protagonists of secular reason … —Glenn Finder, Atlantic, December 1989

She was a leading protagonist in the civil rights movement.

Milton Friedman is usually cited as the leading American protagonist of monetarism.

Recent Examples on the Web

Once again, a trial unites some of the series' most memorable minor characters in an indictment of the protagonist's selfish, petty behavior. —Judy Berman, TIME, 8 Apr. 2024

Van Messel is producing, with the Bedi Duo’s Spirited Heroine Productions, specialized in making films about feisty female protagonists. —Annika Pham, Variety, 7 Apr. 2024

This came from the protagonist’s baby, of course—from his first smiles, his crawling, his discovery of first foods amongst scarcity—but also from all the other loves in the book, for family and friends, even for strangers, bonds formed in extremity. —Megan Hunter, Vogue, 6 Apr. 2024

In one particularly frenetic sequence, a moment of reckoning for Rudy, Mancuso and DP Shane Hurlbut stage a stunning single take, full of costume and set changes that bring to life our protagonist’s’ attempt to have it all. —Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 4 Apr. 2024

Godzilla serves as a reminder for the protagonist, Koichi (Ryunosuke Kamiki), of his own wartime guilt. —Esther Zuckerman, New York Times, 1 Apr. 2024

Naipaul’s novel takes in Mohun Biswas’s life episode by episode, telling it from inside his protagonist’s comprehension, as a story of tremulous ambition and anxiety. —James Wood, The New Yorker, 1 Apr. 2024

The protagonist, Jess Bhamra, dreams of a professional soccer career, despite facing resistance from her traditional Indian parents and societal gender norms that discourage women from playing soccer. —Assile Toufaily, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024

Like Rear Window, Wait Until Dark provides nail-biting tension without leaving the comfort of the protagonist’s on-screen home. —Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 27 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Greek prōtagōnistēs, from prōt- prot- + agōnistēs competitor at games, actor, from agōnizesthai to compete, from agōn contest, competition at games — more at agony

First Known Use

1671, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

protagonist

noun

pro·​tag·​o·​nist prō-ˈtag-ə-nəst 

: the chief character in a play, novel, or story