protagonist

[proh-tag-uh-nist]

noun

1. the leading character, hero, or heroine of a drama or other literary work.

2. a proponent for or advocate of a political cause, social program, etc.

3. the leader or principal person in a movement, cause, etc.

4. the first actor in ancient Greek drama, who played not only the main role, but also other roles when the main character was offstage.

5. Physiology.,  agonist.

protagonist

/ prəʊˈtæɡənɪst /

noun

1. the principal character in a play, story, etc

2. a supporter, esp when important or respected, of a cause, political party, etc

protagonist

1. The principal character in a literary work. Hamlet, for example, is the protagonist of the play by William Shakespeare that bears his name.

Other Word Forms

• protagonism noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of protagonist¹

First recorded in 1665–75; from Greek prōtagōnistḗs “actor who plays the first part,” literally, “first combatant,” equivalent to prôt(os) “first” + agōnistḗs “one who contends for a prize, combatant, actor”; proto-, antagonist

Word History and Origins

Origin of protagonist¹

C17: from Greek prōtagōnistēs, from prōtos first + agōnistēs actor

Example Sentences

But the real protagonist of this entire tale is Guehi, who played by the rules when other players did not this summer but missed out on his move to the Premier League champions.

From BBC

It’s a tough assignment to drop into a film for just a couple of scenes, create a complex character and single-handedly spark the protagonist’s emotional unraveling.

From Los Angeles Times

Still, when it came time to adapt “The Long Walk,” the 77-year-old had one big demand: we needed to see the teenage protagonists getting shot.

From Salon

“I read it at such an important time in my life. I was 16. The protagonist is also 16.”

From Los Angeles Times

I spend the next ten minutes guessing which character will be the protagonist of the new novel but Wilson only laughs along, giving nothing away.

From BBC

Related Words

• central character www.thesaurus.com
• central figure www.thesaurus.com
• hero 
• heroine 
• lead character www.thesaurus.com
• leading character www.thesaurus.com
• leading figure www.thesaurus.com
• main character www.thesaurus.com
• main figure www.thesaurus.com
• principal 
• principal character www.thesaurus.com
• principal figure www.thesaurus.com