antihero

antihero
antiheroism, /an'tee her"oh iz'euhm, an'tuy-/, n.
/an"tee hear'oh, an"tuy-/, n., pl. antiheroes.
a protagonist who lacks the attributes that make a heroic figure, as nobility of mind and spirit, a life or attitude marked by action or purpose, and the like.
[1705-15; ANTI- + HERO]

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      a protagonist of a drama or narrative who is notably lacking in heroic qualities. This type of character has appeared in literature since the time of the Greek dramatists and can be found in the literary works of all nations. Examples include the title characters of Miguel de Cervantes (Cervantes, Miguel de)'s Don Quixote (Part I, 1605; Part II, 1615) and Henry Fielding (Fielding, Henry)'s Tom Jones (1749). Some examples of the modern, postwar antihero, as defined by the Angry Young Men, include Joe Lampton, in John Braine (Braine, John)'s Room at the Top (1957), and Arthur Seaton, in Alan Sillitoe (Sillitoe, Alan)'s Saturday Night and Sunday Morning (1958).

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • antihero — (n.) also anti hero; 1714, from ANTI (Cf. anti ) + HERO (Cf. hero) …   Etymology dictionary

  • antihero — [an′tī hir΄ō; an′tēhir΄ō, an′tihir΄ō] n. pl. antiheroes the protagonist of a novel, play, etc. who lacks the virtues and estimable traits of a traditional hero antiheroic adj …   English World dictionary

  • Antihero — In fiction, an antihero [Spelled as a single word, without hyphen, per [http://www.merriam webster.com/dictionary/antihero Merriam Webster Online] ; [http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/antihero Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)] , based on… …   Wikipedia

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  • antihero — noun Date: 1714 a protagonist or notable figure who is conspicuously lacking in heroic qualities • antiheroic adjective …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • antihero — noun /ˈæn.tɪˌhɪə.ɹəʊ,ˈæn.taiˌhi.ɹoʊ,ˈæn.tiˌhi.ɹoʊ/ A protagonist who proceeds in an unheroic manner, such as by criminal means, via cowardly actions, or for mercenary goals. See Also: antiheroine …   Wiktionary

  • antihero — Synonyms and related words: actor, antagonist, bit, bit part, cast, character, cue, fat part, feeder, heavy, hero, heroine, ingenue, lead, lead role, leading lady, leading man, leading woman, lines, part, person, personage, piece, protagonist,… …   Moby Thesaurus

  • antihero — an|ti|her|o [ˈæntıˌhıərəu US ˌhırou] n plural antiheroes a main character in a book, play, or film who is an ordinary or unpleasant person and lacks the qualities that you expect a hero to have …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • antihero — an|ti|hero [ ænti,hırou ] noun count a main CHARACTER (=person) in a story who does not have the qualities that a HERO usually has, such as being brave or morally good …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • antihero — see anti hero …   English dictionary

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