noun · neutral
protagonist
UK/prəˈtæɡənɪst/US/proʊˈtæɡənɪst/pro·TAG·o·nist
the main character in a story or the leading person in a campaign or movement
Examples
“In the novel, the protagonist struggles to reconcile family duty with personal freedom.”
“She became the protagonist in the campaign for better urban planning.”
“Students often debate whether the protagonist's actions are justified.”
Band 8 sentence
“The protagonist's internal conflict drives the narrative more than any external event.”
Collocations
- main protagonist
- sympathetic protagonist
- the protagonist of the story
Word family
Common mistakes
The protagonist of the novel was a very brave man.→The protagonist of the novel was a very brave man.
He is protagonist in the story.→He is the protagonist in the story.
The protagonists fight with each other.→The protagonists fight with one another.
Say it for a higher band
5main character→6hero→7+protagonist
Synonyms
main character
Easily confused
main character
“The main character goes through a major transformation by the end of the book.”
antagonist
“The antagonist in the film manipulates events from the shadows.”
Related words
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In -ist
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