# protagonist

> English word · Noun · IPA /pɹəˈtæɡ.ə.nɪst/ · frequency rank #11,766

## Definitions
1. The main character, or one of the main characters, in any story, such as a literary work or drama.
2. A leading person in a contest; a principal performer.
3. An advocate or champion of a cause or course of action.

## 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”).

## Common misspellings (17)
`portagonist`, `pprotagonist`, `proatgonist`, `protaggonist`, `protagnoist`, `protagoinst`, `protagonisst`, `protagonistt`, `protagonits`, `protagonnist`, `protagonsit`, `protaognist`, `protgaonist`, `prottagonist`, `prrotagonist`, `prtoagonist`, `rpotagonist`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/protagonist