protagonist
noun
pro·tag·o·nist
prō-ˈta-gə-nist 
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".
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.
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
Iris even lays out the exact order in which everyone will go and the sort of hazards to look out for, which means the protagonists second-guess their every step to a Looney Tunes–level extent.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 22 May 2025
Samuel Kircher stars as the protagonist alongside a cast also featuring Fayçal Anaflous, Jef Jacobs, Anna Heckel, Jean-Baptiste Durand, Hassane Alili, and Salahdine El Garchi.
—Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 22 May 2025
This, in combination with its retread of old ideas – a corporation chasing the protagonists because of some ancient relics – wasn't a solid hook for the more casual crowd.
—Fran Ruiz, Space.com, 22 May 2025
After his father is severely injured in a car crash, which may or may not have been an accident, Roman Carruthers, the protagonist of S.A. Cosby’s King of Ashes, is pulled back into the family crematorium business.
—Shannon Carlin, Time, 22 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for protagonist
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
David Sims, The Atlantic, 22 May 2025
Samuel Kircher stars as the protagonist alongside a cast also featuring Fayçal Anaflous, Jef Jacobs, Anna Heckel, Jean-Baptiste Durand, Hassane Alili, and Salahdine El Garchi.
—Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 22 May 2025
This, in combination with its retread of old ideas – a corporation chasing the protagonists because of some ancient relics – wasn't a solid hook for the more casual crowd.
—Fran Ruiz, Space.com, 22 May 2025
After his father is severely injured in a car crash, which may or may not have been an accident, Roman Carruthers, the protagonist of S.A. Cosby’s King of Ashes, is pulled back into the family crematorium business.
—Shannon Carlin, Time, 22 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for protagonist
Cite this Entry
“Protagonist.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/protagonist. Accessed 2 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
protagonist
noun
pro·tag·o·nist
prō-ˈtag-ə-nəst
: the chief character in a play, novel, or story
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share