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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
Unlike the 1960 film, where Mizuno narrates his own tragedy, Yeon and Katayama’s new Vapor is an object of mystery and dread rather than the story’s protagonist.
—
Patrick Brzeski,
HollywoodReporter,
6 July 2026
The lawyer takes the tenets of mindfulness to heart, and Dusse takes both these tenets and his protagonist to absurd – and sometimes shockingly violent – conclusions.
—
The Know,
Denver Post,
5 July 2026
Residents are strictly governed by regulations and believe the outside world is toxic, but the protagonist, an engineer named Juliette Nichols, begins to uncover secrets about the Silo’s history and the truth behind their world.
—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
4 July 2026
Borrowing from the principles of Land Art, Amangiri treats the landscape as the protagonist rather than a backdrop.
—
Lara Johnson-Wheeler,
Vogue,
3 July 2026
See All Example Sentences for protagonist
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Patrick Brzeski,
HollywoodReporter,
6 July 2026
The lawyer takes the tenets of mindfulness to heart, and Dusse takes both these tenets and his protagonist to absurd – and sometimes shockingly violent – conclusions.
—
The Know,
Denver Post,
5 July 2026
Residents are strictly governed by regulations and believe the outside world is toxic, but the protagonist, an engineer named Juliette Nichols, begins to uncover secrets about the Silo’s history and the truth behind their world.
—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
4 July 2026
Borrowing from the principles of Land Art, Amangiri treats the landscape as the protagonist rather than a backdrop.
—
Lara Johnson-Wheeler,
Vogue,
3 July 2026
See All Example Sentences for protagonist
Cite this Entry
“Protagonist.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/protagonist. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
protagonist
noun
pro·tag·o·nist
prō-ˈtag-ə-nəst 
: the chief character in a play, novel, or story
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