protagonists

NOUN

person who takes the lead; central figure of narrative

Synonyms

STRONGEST

combatant hero idol

STRONG

advocate champion exemplar exponent lead leader mainstay principal standard-bearer warrior

WEAK

central character lead character prime mover

Antonyms

WEAK

antagonist

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

protagonists

“In “Heated Rivalry,” the much-buzzed-about gay hockey romance, the protagonists escape to a “Quebec” cottage that is actually in Muskoka.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026

Simply by making affluent black Africans the protagonists, she says she has opened many people's eyes.

From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026

After Netflix greenlit a two-hour finale instead, Oseman elected to zero in on her protagonists — not unlike her comics — rather than give each character their own, heavily condensed arc.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026

Winocour wisely places all of her protagonists in different fields within the same industry, and at different points in their careers.

From Salon ● Jun. 29, 2026

Ironically, the greatest triumph for both protagonists was the time they were forced to cooperate during the goblin insurgence.

From "Artemis Fowl" by Eoin Colfer