protagonist
/pɹəˈtæɡ.ə.nɪst/
protagonist means the main character, or one of the main characters, in any story, such as a literary work or drama. It carries an Arena rating of 1520, earned across 2 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, protagonist ranks #982 of 14,297 for Best Fossil-Poetry Words, #2,328 of 14,438 for Most Storied Words, #2,678 of 14,410 for Most Ponderous Words, #7,082 of 14,423 for Most Sublime Words.
protagonist is pronounced /pɹəˈtæɡ.ə.nɪst/.
Why “protagonist” is a great word
The central character in a story or a primary champion of a movement. From Ancient Greek πρωταγωνιστής (prōtagōnistḗs, 'a chief actor'), from πρῶτος (prôtos, 'first') + ἀγωνιστής (agōnistḗs, 'a combatant, pleader, actor'), it first entered English in the 1670s. Unlike 'antagonist,' which names a specific opposition, or 'hero,' which confers a mantle of virtue, 'protagonist' is a neutral, structural role that can be filled by saints, sinners, or the merely swept along. It is the man in the stained overcoat who wakes up transformed, the woman who sets fire to her own house without looking back, the child choosing which parent to follow at a railway platform—the consciousness whose choices become the axis on which the world turns. To name the protagonist is not to grant praise, but to acknowledge the singular gravity around which all other orbits bend.
Etymology
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
- The main character, or one of the main characters, in any story, such as a literary work or drama.
- A leading person in a contest; a principal performer.
- An advocate or champion of a cause or course of action.
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.
- deuteragonist 88% match — A secondary character; specifically, the second most important character (after the protagonist). vs protagonist →
- heroine 85% match — Characteristic of a heroine; heroic. vs protagonist →
- agonistes 85% match — A person engaged in a struggle. vs protagonist →
- tritagonist 85% match — In Greek drama, the actor who played the third role (after the protagonist and deuteragonist) vs protagonist →
- antihero 84% match — A protagonist who proceeds in an unheroic manner, such as by criminal means, via cowardly actions, or for mercenary goals. vs protagonist →
- prologue 84% match — A speech or section used as an introduction, especially to a play or novel. vs protagonist →
- everyman 83% match — In fiction, drama, or allegory, the archetypical ordinary individual, frequently the protagonist in a parable of some sort. vs protagonist →
- tragedy 83% match — A drama or similar work, in which the main character is brought to ruin or otherwise suffers the extreme consequences of some tragic flaw or weakness of character. vs protagonist →