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protagonist

pro·tag·o·nist
P p

Transcription

    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • UK Pronunciation
    • UK IPA
    • [proh-tag-uh-nist]
    • /proʊˈtæg ə nɪst/
    • /prəˈtæɡ.ən.ɪst/
    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • [proh-tag-uh-nist]
    • /proʊˈtæg ə nɪst/

Definitions of protagonist word

  • noun protagonist the leading character, hero, or heroine of a drama or other literary work. 1
  • noun protagonist a proponent for or advocate of a political cause, social program, etc. 1
  • noun protagonist the leader or principal person in a movement, cause, etc. 1
  • noun protagonist 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. 1
  • noun protagonist Physiology. agonist. 1
  • noun protagonist fiction: main character 1

Information block about the term

Origin of protagonist

First appearance:

before 1665
One of the 47% oldest English words
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

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for Protagonist

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation

protagonist popularity

A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 74% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.
Most Europeans know this English word. The frequency of it’s usage is somewhere between "mom" and "screwdriver".

protagonist usage trend in Literature

This diagram is provided by Google Ngram Viewer

Synonyms for protagonist

noun protagonist

  • backer — A backer is someone who helps or supports a project, organization, or person, often by giving or lending money.
  • cameo — A cameo is a short description or piece of acting which expresses cleverly and neatly the nature of a situation, event, or person's character.
  • demigod — In mythology, a demigod is a less important god, especially one who is half god and half human.
  • demigoddess — a female mythological being who is partly divine and partly human.
  • goddess — a female god or deity.

Antonyms for protagonist

noun protagonist

  • antagonist — Your antagonist is your opponent or enemy.
  • crip — a term used to refer to a person who is partially or totally unable to use one or more limbs.
  • oppugnant — opposing; antagonistic; contrary.

Top questions with protagonist

  • what is a protagonist?
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  • who is the protagonist in the little match girl?
  • what is a protagonist character?

See also

Matching words

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