protagonist
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protagonist
- /pɹəˈtæɡ.ə.nɪst/ UK
- /pɹəʊˈtæɡ.ə.nɪst/ UK
- /pɹoʊˈtæɡ.ə.nɪst/ Canada, US
- /pɹəˈtæɡ.ə.nɪst/ Canada, US
- /pɹəˈtæɡ.ə.nɪst/ Australia
Where it comes from
From Ancient Greek πρωταγωνιστής (prōtagōnistḗs, “a chief actor”), from πρῶτος (prôtos, “first”) + ἀγωνιστής (agōnistḗs, “a combatant, pleader, actor”). By surface analysis, prot- (“first”) + agonist (“combatant, participant”).
noun protagonists
-
The main character, or one of the main characters, in any story, such as a literary work or drama.
Opposite: antagonist
- A leading person in a contest; a principal performer.
- An advocate or champion of a cause or course of action. It was toward the end of the sixteenth century that the communities in Venice, Mantua, Ferrara, Padua, and Casale Monferrato, inspired by the Renaissance music, wanted to introduce some modernization into the service. The greatest protagonist of the idea was the encyclopedic Jewish scholar Leon of M
Opposite: antagonist
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: booster, supporter, champion, friend, admirer, character, narrator, personage, originator, hero, participant, actor, campaigner, heroine, stakeholder, star
noun
Opposite: antagonist
Translations
Every language
noun main character
| Español | protagonista |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 주인공 ju'in'gong |
| 日本語 | 主人公 shujinkō |
| 中文 | 主角 zhǔjué, 主人公 zhǔréngōng |
| Kiswahili | mhusika mkuu |
| Português | protagonista |
| Français | protagoniste, héros, héroïne |
| Deutsch | Protagonist, Protagonistin, Hauptfigur, Held |
| Italiano | protagonista |
| Ελληνικά | πρωταγωνιστής protagonistís |
| Română | protagonist |
| Русский | гла́вный геро́й glávnyj gerój, гла́вная герои́ня glávnaja geroínja, протагони́ст protagoníst, протагони́стка protagonístka |
| Tiếng Việt | nam chính, nữ chính, nhân vật chính |
| العربية | بَطَل baṭal, بَطَلَة baṭala |
| עברית | דְּמוּת רָאשִׁית dmut rashít, גִּבּוֹר gibor |
noun leading person in a contest
| Español | protagonista |
|---|---|
| Português | protagonista |
| Ελληνικά | πρωταγωνιστής protagonistís |
| العربية | مُتَصَدِّر mutaṣaddir |
| עברית | מוֹבִיל movil |
noun advocate
| Español | protagonista |
|---|---|
| Português | protagonista |
Talk about this word "protagonist." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/protagonist. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. protagonist. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/protagonist "protagonist." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/protagonist.Cite this
@misc{protagonist_2026,
title = {protagonist},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/protagonist},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
