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main character

main character

68 2.4
The most important person in a story like a book or movie
  • noun
  • /meɪn ˈkɛrɪktər/
translation icon : protagonista
  • In the movie, the main character embarks on a quest to discover her true identity.
  • the main character of the story
  • the main character of the novel
  • name of the main character

The audience is the main character in the story, not the characters.

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Examples

  • She's the main character of the film.

  • Who would be the main character in this book?

  • As always, it's in first person and a lot of the story is just our main character talking to herself.

  • Well, I felt like I really connected to the story, and especially the main character.

  • What are the connections between the main characters, events, location, and time of the story?

    Academic text (1993)
  • "Then I realized the story became more about his wife, so she became the main character."

    Academic text (2011)
  • That really comes through, especially in the beginning where we meet our main character, Zoe.

  • I once saw a film in which the main character didn't speak for the first half an hour.

  • Who is the main character of 'The Legend of Zelda'?

  • EV: Give us insight into your main character, Faith Flores.

    Academic text (2015)

Synonyms

lead
vsmain character
279 4.6

The main person who is in charge of a group or activity

is specific to the narrative central figure rather than a performer or organizer
hero
vsmain character
159 1.4

The main character in a play, film, or book that the audience follows

is the neutral important figure, not necessarily admirable
protagonist
vsmain character
69 4.4

The main character in a book, film, or play who faces the story's main problems

is a broader everyday way to refer to that central figure

Antonyms

3 3.5

A small, less important part in a play, film, or TV show

How Central

main character
68 2.4
minor role
3 3.5
background
27 2.1

Surface Forms

Morphology

main + character

The meaning 'the most important or central figure in a story' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'main' (chief, primary) with 'character' (a fictional person or role). This adjective+noun composition is a straightforward, cross-linguistically common pattern, so a B1 learner who knows both constituent words will readily understand the MWE.

Etymology

Main character comes from the idea of a stage or story where one person stands out. The word main means 'most important' and character means 'person in a story', so main character means the 'most important person' in a story.