protagonist
[ proh-tag-uh-nist ]
/ proʊˈtæg ə nɪst /
noun
the leading character, hero, or heroine of a drama or other literary work.
a proponent for or advocate of a political cause, social program, etc.
the leader or principal person in a movement, cause, etc.
the first actor in ancient Greek drama, who played not only the main role, but also other roles when the main character was offstage.
Compare deuteragonist, tritagonist.
Physiology.
agonist.
Origin of protagonist
1665–75; < 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. See
proto-,
antagonist
OTHER WORDS FROM protagonist
pro·tag·o·nism, nounWORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH protagonist
antagonist proponent protagonistWords nearby protagonist
prosy,
prosyllogism,
prot-,
prot.,
protactinium,
protagonist,
protagoras,
protamine,
protandrous,
protanomaly,
protanopia
British Dictionary definitions for protagonism
protagonist
/ (prəʊˈtæɡənɪst) /
noun
the principal character in a play, story, etc
a supporter, esp when important or respected, of a cause, political party, etc
Derived forms of protagonist
protagonism, nounWord Origin for protagonist
C17: from Greek
prōtagōnistēs, from
prōtos first +
agōnistēs actor
Cultural definitions for protagonism
protagonist
[ (proh-tag-uh-nist) ]
The principal character in a literary work. Hamlet, for example, is the protagonist of the play by William Shakespeare that bears his name.