protagonist

See also: Protagonist

English

Etymology

From Ancient Greek πρωταγωνιστής (prōtagōnistḗs, “a chief actor”), from πρῶτος (prôtos, “first”) + ἀγωνιστής (agōnistḗs, “a combatant, pleader, actor”).

Surface analysis prot- (“first”) +‎ agonist (“combatant, participant”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pɹəˈtæ.ɡə.nɪst/
• IPA^(key): /pɹoʊˈtæ.ɡə.nɪst/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Noun

protagonist (plural protagonists)

1. (authorship) The main character, or one of the main characters, in any story, such as a literary work or drama.

   Antonym: antagonist

2. A leading person in a contest; a principal performer.
3. (proscribed) An advocate or champion of a cause or course of action.

Usage notes

The use of protagonist to mean a proponent or supporter of a cause is a 20th century development that may have been influenced by the misunderstanding that the first syllable of the word is the prefix pro-, meaning favouring. This usage is widely considered to be erroneous.

Coordinate terms

• deuteragonist
• tritagonist

Related terms

• agonist
• agonistes

Translations

main character

• Armenian: հերոս (hy) (heros)
• Catalan: protagonista (ca) m or f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 主角 (zh) (zhǔjué)

• Czech: protagonista (cs) m
• Danish: hovedperson c
• Dutch: protagonist (nl) m or f
• Esperanto: ĉefrolulo, ĉefpersono
• Estonian: nutikas
• Finnish: päähenkilö (fi)
• French: protagoniste (fr) m or f, héros (fr) m, héroïne (fr) f
• Galician: protagonista (gl) m or f
• Georgian: მთავარი გმირი (mtavari gmiri), მთავარი პერსონაჟი (mtavari ṗersonaži), მთავარი მოქმედი პირი (mtavari mokmedi ṗiri), პროტაგონისტი (ṗroṭagonisṭi)
• German: Protagonist (de) m, Protagonistin f, Hauptfigur (de) f, Held (de) m
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Greek: πρωταγωνιστής (el) m (protagonistís)
• Hebrew: דמות ראשית (he) f (dmut rashít), גיבור (he) m (gibor)
• Hungarian: főszereplő (hu), főhős (hu)
• Ido: protagonisto (io)
• Indonesian: protagonis (id), tokoh utama (id), pemeran utama (id)
• Italian: protagonista (it) m or f
• Japanese: 主人公 (ja) (しゅじんこう, shujinkō)
• Malay: protagonis, watak utama
• Norwegian: hovedperson m, protagonist m
• Polish: protagonista (pl) m, protagonistka (pl) f
• Portuguese: protagonista (pt) m or f
• Romanian: protagonist (ro) m
• Russian: (гла́вный) геро́й m ((glávnyj) gerój), (гла́вная) герои́ня f ((glávnaja) geroínja), протагони́ст (ru) m (protagoníst), протагони́стка (ru) f (protagonístka)
• Spanish: protagonista (es) m or f
• Swedish: huvudperson (sv) c, protagonist (sv) c

leading person in a contest

• Catalan: protagonista (ca) m or f
• Dutch: hoofdrolspeler m, hoofdrolspeelster f
• Galician: protagonista (gl) m or f
• Greek: πρωταγωνιστής (el) m (protagonistís)
• Hebrew: מוביל m (movil)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Hungarian: főszereplő (hu)
• Malay: protagonis, watak utama
• Portuguese: protagonista (pt) m or f
• Spanish: protagonista (es) m or f

advocate

• Norwegian: protagonist m
• Portuguese: protagonista (pt) m or f
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Spanish: protagonista (es) m or f
• Swedish: förespråkare (sv) c, förkämpe c

Further reading

• “protagonist”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “protagonist”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.

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Danish

Noun

protagonist c (singular definite protagonisten, plural indefinite protagonister)

1. (literature) protagonist

   Synonym: hovedperson

Declension

Declension of protagonist

common gender	Singular		Plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	protagonist	protagonisten	protagonister	protagonisterne
genitive	protagonists	protagonistens	protagonisters	protagonisternes

Further reading

• “protagonist” in Den Danske Ordbog

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Dutch

Etymology

Ultimately from Ancient Greek πρωταγωνιστής (prōtagōnistḗs). This etymology is incomplete. You can help Wiktionary by elaborating on the origins of this term.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˌproː.taː.ɣoːˈnɪst/
• Hyphenation: pro‧ta‧go‧nist
• Rhymes: -ɪst

Noun

protagonist m (plural protagonisten)

1. protagonist, main character [from 18th c.]
   • 1780, M. C. Curtius, Aristoteles Verhandeling over de dichtkunst, tr. from German, publ. by Arend Fokke Simonsz., page 105.

     Hy voerde nog een perſoon in, en verdeelde het Treurſpel in twee rollen, van welke de eerste Acteur de hoofdrol ſpeelde en daarvan de Protagonist heette;

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

   Synonyms: hoofdpersonage, hoofdpersoon

Antonyms

• antagonist

Derived terms

• protagonistisch